Overcoming Darkness
by dracohalo117
Summary: Haunted by a family legacy, a young Hunter struggles to prove himself. But will his struggle end in his victory...or will his friends and family pay the price of his failure?
1. An Unlikely Partnership

**Disclaimer** -Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchblade, or Artifacts in any way, shape, or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and is the creation of Monty Oum...The Darkness, Witchblade, and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice :** This story, along with just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon. We will extract elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy rewrite of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** Well, here it is, the first RWBY fanfic created in partnership between dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger. We have been working on this fic for the last year, along with several others, which is why it has taken this long to post. Kind of awkward after that Season Finale. But, as mentioned in the Notice, we will not simply follow canon because it is canon, we will extract elements from canon for future stories and updates, but when we started writing this, we had only taken Volumes One and Two into account, so, with that in mind, do not expect anybody from Volume showing up, at least not in the way they were presented, and do not expect concepts in Volume 3 to show up either, they may show up, they may not, but do not simply expect that to be the case.

 **dracohalo117 announcement:** I wish to wish Leaf Ranger a happy birthday, had it not been for his stories, I never would have joined fanfiction, none of my stories would be on this site, and none of you would be reading this. So, I wish him a happy birthday, and I want to thank him for being the one to inspire me to write.

Now, without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

* * *

 _The night was dark, black as pitch, the stars in the sky, barely breaching through the utter blackness, as the moons dim light cast its glow upon the landscape below._

 _A tall forest commanded the landscape, its trees towering to such heights, that they cast a shadow upon the earth below, blocking out the light of the moon, whose already dim glow barely reached the forest tops, now blocked from all that dwelled within it, and rendering the forest below the treetops nearly devoid of light._

 _The darkened forest, illuminated by the sparse breaks in the treetops, was still, empty, not a single form of fauna dotting its surface, neither bird nor mammalian beast scurried across its soil and wooden surface, rendering the atmosphere completely taciturn._

 _This quiet however, was broken, as the distant sound of crunching leaves began to grow closer, the snapping of twigs, and the panting of exhaustion which could only come from a living being._

 _The branches parted, and a figure rolled forward as they tripped upon a stone that jutted from the ground. They forcibly and swiftly pushed themselves to a standing position, before they sprinted forward, a look of fear clinging to their clearly masculine features._

 _The man, no, the boy, snapped his head left and right, the look of fear fastened to his visage, searching for something lurking within the darkness around him._

 _The boys eyes widened as he saw something in the darkness, and he saw that very same thing look back at him._

 _Those grim, glowing eyes and their sinister sickly yellow glow, casting a foul light as they pierced through the darkness, the focus of their gaze, solely upon him…and then he heard it…laugh._

 _The creatures laughter, echoed off of the walls of darkness surrounding him, even as he pushed forward, running faster, even as he felt his joints click from the strain he forced upon them, the adrenaline pulsing through his system as he tried to get away, as he tried to flee, running from the monster in the darkness._

 _He kept running forward, looking behind him, trying to see if the creature was following him, hunting him._

 _His gaze turned to the side, and he felt a sense of dread as he saw the broken branches of an eerily familiar bush, and he came to the realization that he had just run in a complete circle._

 _Biting his lip, he looked around, as he heard the mad cackling of the thing that had been chasing him grow ever closer._

 _Snapping his gaze to the right, he began to run in the opposite direction where he had heard the accursed laughter coming from, praying to the heavens above that he would be safe from the monster that was chasing him._

 _The boy turned his head, looking behind him, and saw nothing behind him, and noticed the lack of familiarity. He felt a sense of hope enter him, as he began to turn his head._

 _'Ooph!' only for him to come to a sudden stop, as he slammed into something that he had not seen thanks to him desperately looking behind him as he tried to flee the beast in the woods._

 _The boy shook off the pain of having crashed into a solid object running at top speed, and looked up at whatever it was he had struck._

 _His once hopeful expression, however dim, was snuffed as he looked at what he had crashed into._

 _Fear overtook every nerve in his body, and before he could let loose a scream of terror, he had sprung to his feet, and span around, running in the opposite direction, as that wretched cackling followed after him, the sound of his footfalls pairing with another, forming a duet of crunching leaves as the cackling of the beast paired with the footfalls, to create a song that broke through the silent night._

 _The boy ran faster than he ever thought was possible for his body to move, the clicking of his joints pierced his eardrums, as he felt his muscles burn, his feet bouncing off of the soil as his gaze briefly snapped back to his rear._

 _Those horrid yellow eyes were staring into his back, growing closer and closer even as he tried to outrun their chortling owner, which only seemed to move faster with each step he took._

 _He turned his gaze forward, and he saw the trees part into a small clearing, and before he could consciously make the decision, his body had twisted its position, and his feet carried him forward, running swiftly towards the clearing, as a shape within it began to form._

 _A single wooden shack no taller than a single story, sat between the trees, the small clearing providing an open space for it to sit comfortably, even in its clearly rundown condition._

 _His eyes shimmered with renewed hope, as he reached towards the door of the shack, and grasped onto the buildings handle, and pushed…only to be met with the resistance of a locked door._

 _The boys eyes widened in fear, as he pushed harder on the door handle, and began to kick the door, his gaze snapping behind him, as he heard the cackling thing's footsteps exit the tree line._

 _The yellow eyes of his pursuer peered from the edge beyond the tree line, its laughter resounding across the clearing, piercing the boys ears with its dreadful sound. The thing stepped forward, its gaze fixed upon the child who was still trying to open the door to flee his pursuer, and its visage was twisted by a toothy grin, that glowed the same sickening yellow shade as its eyes._

 _The boy trembled as the beast walked towards him, and in a desperate attempt to survive, he began to slam his shoulder into the door, a crack echoing out, whether from the lock creaking against the wood, or from the bones in his shoulder, he did not know._

 _Finally, the door gave way, as he slammed his shoulder into the surface again, and he charged in, slamming the door behind him. His gaze snapped to the side, as he saw a shape, its details unseen to his terrified vision, as he grabbed it, before forcibly shoving it aside, planting it in front of the door, as the cackling beyond turned into shrieks of rage, as the forceful slams of whatever had been chasing him crashed into the door._

 _He fell backwards, barely catching himself before he fell onto his backside, panting as he heard the beast beyond the door slam its fists into the hard surface of the door._

 _His breathing was labored as he tried to get oxygen back into his system, panting, wheezing, gasping for breath as he tried to regain his bearings as he came to his feet. He stumbled about as he tried to stand, and he grabbed onto a nearby object…only to freeze as he felt the shape of the object between his fingers._

 _His eyes snapped upwards, shock and horror overtaking his features, before he leapt back, before he crashed into another object, and as he felt its shape against his back, he stumbled forward, rolling as he looked up in terror at the objects around him, his fear filled gaze taking in the objects within the shack._

 _Statues, all of them in various stages of shock and fear, all baring the same facial structure._

 _His._

 _He crawled back, his back pressing against a wall, before he quickly came to a standing position, as his back rubbed against a protruding object, 'click', and suddenly, his vision was clouded with a blinding light, as a previously unseen series of lightbulbs suddenly lit up, and illuminated the cabin._

 _'Crack' his hands shot up as several of the bulbs illuminating the cabin suddenly burst, sending glass across the room, slamming and shattering into the stone statues which mimicked his visage, until only a single bulb remained, casting a dim light across the cabin, and casting shadows across the shacks floorboards._

 _Slowly, his hands receded from covering his face, and he looked around at the room, even as the dim light burned his eyes as it cast its harsh illumination upon him._

 _'Ha ha ha ha…'_

 _The boys eyes widened, his body trembled, and his breathing hitched in his throat, as he heard that foul laughter…inside the Cabin._

 _He snapped his gaze around as he heard it continue, as it echoed off of the wooden walls of the shack, as the dim light of the last remaining bulb, and the statues that mimicked his form cast a series of shadows across the floor._

 _Shadows which began to move…_

 _His vision focused on the shadows as they began to shift and move, extending outwards as the laughter only grew, and he ran to the door, and grabbed onto the object he had thrown in front of it to barricade it._

 _The object in question being a statue, whose faced was twisted in horror._

 _He glanced back at the shadows as he tried to lift the statue, barely shifting it as the shadows began to bubble, and a single one began to grow, and rise upwards._

 _His pupils dilated, and he struggled to make the statue move from its place before the door, and the light began to flicker._

 _'Crash' the windows of the Cabin suddenly erupted, glass flying into the cabin, bouncing off of the statues, and being swallowed up by the darkness, and a terrible shriek began to echo within the shack._

 _His hands shot up to his ears, as he screamed in pain, his fear multiplying a thousand fold as he heard that terrible noise reverberate throughout the cabin._

 _The statues began to crack, the force of the shriek beginning to break them down into gravel, as they began to crumble to the floor below, as the shadows began to devour them, as they writhed into an unholy form of what appeared to be life._

 _He forced his hands from his ears, as the shrieking subsided, and he desperately grabbed the statue before the door, now cracked and broken from the terrible sound, and he began to throw them aside, even as the dark shadows began to stitch themselves together, the laughter of the monster growing in its intensity._

 _Finally, he succeeded in pulling the last of the statue away from the door, and he ripped the door open, and began to run outside, back into the dark forest, away from the shadows which had been formed by statues of his imagery and the broken light inside._

 _Only for his motion to betray him, as he stumbled on a single piece of broken statue, and fell to the ground, smacking his face against the soil, splitting his lip from the moment of contact._

 _He pushed past the pain, and tried to stand, his legs slowly bringing him to a kneeling position._

 _Only for a firm grip to wrap around his ankle, and pull hard, bringing him back to the ground, as he was swiftly dragged back into the cabin, his hands grasping on the door frame, clutching desperately for dear life as he felt splinters dig into his fingertips, only to let out a pitiful yelp of pain as the grip on his ankle tightened, and be dragged in forcibly, the splinters stabbing into his fingers as he was ripped back inside._

 _The boys shoulders were suddenly grasped, and he was flipped onto his back, and slammed into the floor, the wood beneath him cracking from the force, as both his shoulders were clutched with a powerful, bone cracking grip, as he was forced to look upon his captor._

 _The beast which had pursued him in this dark place…_

 _The creature before him, which had hunted him since he entered this dark forest…_

 _He beheld the monsters face…_

 _His face…_

 _It was like looking into a distorted mirror, as he looked upon his duplicate, whose facial features and hair matched his own, its form contrasting his own by only the yellow glow erupting from its pupils and lips, and the black tar which fastened itself to its flesh._

 _His doppelganger's lips curled, and it shrieked, as its head launched forward, its needle-like teeth bared._

* * *

"Gah!" A lone figure leaning against the wall suddenly shot up from his sleep, his body caked in sweat, as his blue onesie clung to his form, stumbling to his feet as he reached for the handle of the nearby bathroom door, as he wobbled inside, and made a beeline for the nearest trash can, before he began to unleash the contents of his stomach into the bin.

The spittle and residual half-digested meal from the night before, left a foul taste in his mouth, as the burning sensation of his stomach acid stung the back of his throat, as he continued to let out a steady stream of bile out of his mouth.

Finally, after several minutes of retching, he began to force himself to his feet, his arms trembling as he felt a great wave of exhaustion overtake him, a few stray tears coming down his face, whether from the vomiting, or from the fear that his Nightmare induced, he could not say.

"G-get a hold of yourself…" he muttered, breathing in and out, gasping as he felt himself begin to choke on the taste of his bile, which still lingered.

Loosely reaching towards the sink, sliding as his blue onesie caused him to nearly smack his head against the sinks edge, he turned on the faucet, and greedily began to shovel water into his mouth, in the hopes of washing away the foul taste.

The cool refreshing water washed away the foul taste, and as he began to splash water on his face to remove some of the sweat his nightmare had forced him to expel from his skin, he rubbed his fingers through his hair, and looked up at himself in the bathroom mirror.

A wince of shock and disgust found its way onto his features, as he saw the bags under his blue eyes, which seemed dimmer in color, moreso than usual. He could see the barest hints of veins in the whites of his eyes, which were highlighted by how pale he looked.

The blond hair, which looked messier than normal, likely because of the sweat staining it, framed his features, as he looked himself over in his reflection.

The doppelganger from his dreams briefly replaced his reflection, resulting in him flinching back, and almost slipping again as his onesie prevented his feet from gaining a grip on the bathroom tiles below.

The tips of his fingers just barely grasped onto the edge of the sink as he righted himself, before he looked back at the mirror, and saw his reflection.

No yellow eyes, no black sludge covering his skin, no needle-like teeth filling his mouth.

Just his normal pale skin, with blue eyes and blond hair.

He looked down towards the sink, the barest of reflections staring back at him in the pool of water that had yet to go down the drain of the sink, letting out a breath of relief as he began to whisper, "Get ahold of yourself Jaune, it was a Nightmare, it wasn't real, that's it…it's a myth." Jaune said with as much conviction as he could muster, clenching his fist as he tried to regain his composure.

'Briiiiing'

Jaune's eyes snapped wide as he heard the tell-tale ringing of the school bell, no doubt awakening the rest of those still sleeping in the Auditorium.

For the first time since he awoke, a smile found its way onto his features, as he stood up tall, and looked back at his reflection in the mirror.

This was it, this was _his_ day, the day he had been waiting for since he was a child, where he would follow in his ancestor's footsteps, and become a great hero like they were.

Jaune took in a deep breath, and stared at himself in the mirror, and he felt his body begin to shiver from excitement.

' _I will prove you wrong…'_ he thought as he smirked at himself in the mirror.

At that same moment, several people began to walk into the bathroom, and took one look at him standing in front of the mirror, grinning like an idiot, in a blue onesie, and proceeded to burst out laughing.

Jaune flushed as he felt incredible humiliation from the laughter of the bathrooms occupants.

'… _as soon as I get changed.'_

He pushed passed the still chortling male students as he returned to the auditorium, and turned to the side, where he had fallen asleep, and grabbed his luggage, which he had used as a makeshift pillow, and proceeded to pull out his outfit, the red hue of embarrassment lingering on his face as he did so.

* * *

After he had managed to get over the embarrassment of posing in front of a mirror in a blue onesie in front of all the other guys, Jaune finally succeeded in dressing himself. He did a quick once over of his appearance, and was sufficiently pleased.

His chest was adorned with a white chest plate, and similarly colored armor adorned his shoulders. He wore a black hoodie underneath his armor, which sported a reddish orange tinge to the sleeves. Finishing the outfit, was a pair of blue jeans with a white patch on the left knee, and finally, his lucky sneakers, 'left' and 'right' which were properly labeled as such.

He readjusted the two belts crisscrossing his waist, making sure the myriad of pouches adorning them didn't cause them to suddenly fall down and make him trip and fall down a set of stairs, again.

Sliding on his brown fingerless gloves, and clinking the metal plates on the back of them together as he clipped his sword, Crocea Mors, onto the left side of his waist

Jaune did a quick spin to check if anything was too loose, with no sound of jingling or unnecessary flapping, however, a series of hairs ended up landing in front of his eyes, partially blinding him, he quickly swept it out of his gaze, and let out a breath of annoyance as he recalled the statement of the white haired girl from yesterday, "I wonder if I should get a haircut."

After running his fingers through his hair one last time, he took in a deep breath through his nostrils, and looked around at where he was standing.

Beacon academy, the finest academy for training Huntsman and Huntresses across Remnant, where students from all across Remnant, from the best Combat Schools in the four Kingdoms, from Atlas and Mistral, to the local Kingdoms of Vacuo and Vale.

Even settlements outside the Kingdom had heard of Beacon, and the quality of the Hunters that came out from within its halls.

Jaune was proof of that, having lived in a settlement far outside the Kingdom of Vale.

Thoughts of home caused a wince to shoot through his system, as he recalled how he had managed to get here in the first place.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of those thoughts, he forced himself to look forward, "No, no going back now, you can do this Jaune." he spoke softly as he began to trudge forward, passing through the halls of the academy.

This would be his home for the next four years, and it would not do to sully the atmosphere by such negative thoughts.

"Ooph!" Jaune was suddenly pushed aside as he slammed into a tall figure that suddenly walked in front of him, and Jaune fell back onto his backside, as the figure stumbled a bit, before they suddenly grabbed onto the front of his shirt, and sneered.

"Hey, watch where you're going wimp." he said with an aggressive tone.

Jaune looked at the figure he had walked into, and saw a male student with burnt orange hair which was slicked back. His eyes were a deep shade of indigo, and his complexion was light, but had a noticeable tan. His body was adorned with heavy plate armor, that was gray with golden trim, and a golden eagle was displayed proudly on his chest plate.

The armored teen sneered at him again, before he unceremoniously dropped him back on the ground, before walking away, muttering under his breath that barely caught, something about, 'not worth the time'?

Jaune groaned to himself as he began to stand up, and he looked up, and his eyes saw where the armored jerk had come out of.

He came to a standing position as he began to walk through an arch, which had some noticeably elegant trimmings, and he began to look inside.

It was a semi-circular room, with nine stain glass windows being evenly placed along the wall, letting the bright light of the morning sun enter the room, which illuminated the empty chamber, and granting Jaune a good look at the objects placed in an 'incomplete' semi-circle near the back of the chamber.

Jaune whistled as he looked around at the smooth, yet elegant architecture of the chamber, "So, this is what a temple looks like?"

Having lived outside the kingdoms walls, he had been separated from the culture that the Kingdoms had, minus the major news, such as the famous Hunter academies and the random incursions of Grimm surrounding the walls of the four Kingdoms, as a result, until now, he had never seen a 'Temple of the Nine', the primary religion in the four kingdoms, which was one of the few things that the kingdoms shared.

As he looked at the temple, he couldn't help but marvel at the ornate trimmings along the surface of the pillars which held up the ceiling, the way the arches above the mirrors and doorways seemed to curve in the same semi-circular fashion as the rest of the temple, it was so different from the small familial altars that the people of his own settlements would keep in their home to honor their own gods.

It was a testament to how different life inside the Kingdoms was, he had thought his mother was exaggerating when she told him how differ-

Jaune clamped down that particular train of thought, before shaking his head, and letting out a sigh, before he turned to look at the idols sitting at the back of the temple, but as he passed over the idols, he stopped at one idol in particular.

The idol in question represented the God of Protection, and took the form of a shield, which wrapped around an androgynous figure, almost like the warm embrace of a parent, the surface of the shield, bearing an ornately shaped cross, with each portion being of equal length.

Jaune looked around at the temple, as he began to think of his home, and how he would often find himself kneeling before the altar in the family chambers, where he would make offerings, and pray to the pantheon he had been raised to give respect to.

However, he was not in his home, he was within Beacon academy, which resided within the borders of the Kingdom of Vale, his gods held no power here.

He thought back to his Nightmares, and wondered, if perhaps the reason for them, was because he was outside the power of the Pantheon he had known his whole life.

With that in mind, he turned towards the idol, and a thought crossed his mind. While his gods did not have any power here, perhaps the gods that did would be able to help him?

Jaune took a deep breath, and began to fall to a kneeling position before the altar, the awkwardness of his motion would have made any passing student, or even teacher, chuckle from the scene as he placed both his hands upon his lap, as he nervously shifted where he kneeled.

Coughing, he cleared his voice, and began to speak, "I apologize for my ignorance, but…" he began, as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "…I have no idea how I am supposed to do this." he chuckled as he tilted his head slightly, "I am from outside the Kingdoms, and my family, the Arc's, worshipped a different pantheon, so, I don't even know if I am supposed to kneel or stand." the nervousness of his speech was easily seen, as his ears grew red from the embarrassment he was feeling at laying out his problems in such a manner.

After a moment of silence, he took in a deep breath, his face still flushed, "But I am not outside the kingdoms anymore, I am in them, and this is _your_ realm of control, so…" he became silent as he nervously looked up at the idol, and a single bead of sweat dripped from his brow, "…I thought, perhaps, _you_ might be able to help me."

Jaune became silent, as he tried to find the right words, as he looked up at the idol, before he looked back down at his hands, which had begun drum against his legs. He gripped the cloth of his pants, and he looked back at the idol, the flush on his face receding, and spoke, "I ask you, God of Protection, patron divine of hunters and protectors…" he paused as he let out another breath, "…I ask for your protection from my nightmares, from my dreams." Jaune's gaze turned downwards, and he began to tighten grip he had on his jeans, "They haunt me, and fill me with fear." he took in a deep breath, "For the path I am to walk, I cannot let my fear to control me, so, I implore you, for you to watch over me as I sleep, so that I may sleep silently, that my fear not command me, so that I may protect others in turn."

After a moment of silence, Jaune began to stand up, albeit, clumsily, as he began to head back towards the way he had come in.

Before he exited the temple, he cast a brief glance back at the altar, and took a deep breath, before he entered the halls of Beacon, and headed towards the lockers.

* * *

How long had he been searching for his locker? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes? Thirty minutes?! It just seemed to drag on as he kept going up and down the rows upon rows of lockers, while trying to follow the insane directions that they had been given for their locker numbers.

"Locker 636, locker 636, oh come on, this is ridiculous!" he said loudly, his voice cracking as he looked left and right, "I don't remember counting that high." Jaune groaned as his head fell forward, "Why does this _have_ to happen _today_?" he pouted as he began to turn, "Whooaah!" only to slip and fall over a bench, before landing in front of a locker. Groaning in pain, he grabbed onto the locker and pulled himself up, looking forward, "Oh, there you are." and found himself in front of the very locker he had been looking for.

He sprang to his feet and began to type in the code to his locker, humming to himself as he opened it…

And found a mirror on the inside of the locker.

The Nightmare's imagery flashed back in his mind as he looked at his reflection, and he shivered before grabbing the mirror, and pulling it off the door, tossing towards the nearby trash can.

"Whoa there Vomit-Boy."

Jaune snapped towards the voice, and stared at the owner of the voice.

The one who had spoken up was a teenaged girl, who wore a tan vest with gold piping over a low cut yellow crop top, with a black crest that resembled a burning heart just peeking out from under the vest. The sleeves of the vest had puffy caps, and black cuffs, with two golden buttons on the sides of the cuffs. She had an orange infinity scarf wrapped around her neck.

She was wearing a brown belt with a buckle, a pouch, and a small object that seemed to look like a banner, which had the same burning heart emblem that she had on her top, but it was golden in color. She was wearing black shorts which almost resembled a pleated skirt if his eyes were not deceiving him, and over top of them was a white asymmetrical back skirt.

Her legs were covered with a pair of knee high brown platform boots, with a pair of orange socks sticking out of them. A gray bandanna was wrapped around the top of her left boot, and a pair of fingerless black gloves adorned both her hands.

Both of her forearms had a pair of yellow gauntlets, which were clearly mecha-shift weapons, if the design was anything to go by.

And she was a bombshell to say the least.

She had a figure that models would kill for, smooth curves, and a muscular physique that spoke volumes of her physical strength. Her long legs had a noticeable, yet not at all unappealing muscle tone to them, and had he not turned his attention back to her, he would have kept staring. She had a smooth hourglass figure, with heavy emphasis around the chest area, which was also a tempting image to look at.

He glanced up to her facial features, which were soft, but at the same time held a womanly charm to it, held a pale complexion. Her lilac colored eyes stared back at him, as she gave off a knowing smile as she began to walk towards him, her long blonde hair bouncing as she did so.

Jaune gulped in fear as she stopped in front of him, "O-oh, uhm…hiya Yang?"

Yang simply glanced at him, that same knowing smirk on her features as she looked him over, "Hello there Jauney." she turned her head to her right hand, which held the mirror he had tried to throw away, "So, why on Remnant would you toss out a perfectly good mirror, huh?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jaune gulped as the light of the ceiling bulbs reflected off the mirror, and he had to cover his eyes, "I-I, uhm…don't like how they make me look?" he said, hoping Yang didn't notice the questioning tone of his voice.

She simply turned her head to look at herself in the mirror, and clicked her tongue, glancing back at him, "I like the way they make _me_ look." she said as she began to admire herself in the mirror.

Jaune let out a chuckle as the scene played out before him, "I'll bet you do."

Yang let out her own snort of laughter, and cast a glance at him, "Oh? What about you Jauney?"

Jaune froze up at her question, which only sparked further laughter from her, as Jaune blushed from the blonde bombshell's actions, "I-I, uhm, I…ooph!" he leaned over as Yang 'lightly' punched him in the stomach, and ruffled his hair.

"Ah, I'm just messing with ya Vomit-boy…sooooo…" she drew out as she held the mirror close to her chest, "If you don't want this, mind if I have it?" she said with a pout and a small lip quiver.

Jaune winced as he saw the face Yang was trying to pull off, or rather, succeed in pulling off, "N-no, by all means, take it." he said with a blush, curse him and his weakness to all things cute.

Yang immediately switched to a grinning expression, "Yay!" and patted him on the back, _hard_ , resulting in him falling to the floor, "Thanks a bunch Jauney."

"Yaaaaaang!"

Jaune looked up from his position on the floor, and found a hilarious and adorable sight.

A young silver eyed brunette girl with red tips, wearing a black blouse and black waist cincher with red lacing, adorned in a skirt with red trimmings, completed with a long red cloak, was dangling off of Yang's arm, pouting up at the taller blonde that was nearly a head taller than her.

"Heya Rubes, whatcha up to?" Yang either didn't notice, or didn't care that the silver eyed brunette was clasping onto her like a sloth on a branch.

The brunette's pout seemed to become more intense, "I _was_ getting my Crescent Rose before I saw you pushing my friend to the floor."

Yang rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Ruby, I tapped him on the shoulder, I wasn't pushing him around, I mean-" she held up the mirror in her hand, which was difficult since Ruby was clinging to that arm quite tightly, "-why would I push around somebody who was nice enough to let me have his mirror?" she said with a smile and a tilt of her head.

Ruby stared at Yang quizzically, before looking back at Jaune, who had returned to his feet, "Why didja give her your mirror?" she said with her own tilted head, which only seemed to make her look even more like a confused puppy.

Jaune chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, "I don't like how they make me look."

Ruby stared at Jaune, her cheeks puffing out as she narrowed her eyes, "But, don't they just show you what you actually look like?"

Yang proceeded to ruffle Ruby's hair, "Oh Rubes, one day you'll understand." she nodded back at Jaune, "Catchya later Jauney." she waved her arm, which Ruby was still clinging to, "Thanks for the mirror." she said with a wink before she turned around, and began to head in the opposite direction.

Jaune let out a sigh and a shake of his head, as he closed the door to his locker.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around, "So, what am I supposed to do now?" his gaze stopped on a pair of girls nearby, who seemed to be talking, and he recognized the girl from yesterday.

She was wearing a pale blue bolero jacket over a thigh length dress of similar color, with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of her dress. Her jacket had a snowflake shape on the back, and she was wearing a skirt very similar in form to the one Ruby wore, _'I think she called it a 'combat skirt'?'_

In addition, she wore a necklace that bore an apple shape, and a pair of thin rectangular earrings. She was also wearing a pair of white, heeled wedge boots that went midway up her calves. Her long white hair was pulled back in a ponytail that was noticeably off-center, with a small tiara at the base of it. Her skin was even paler than Yang and Ruby's, and her eyes were the iciest blue he had ever seen, and there was a crooked scar along her left eye.

He flushed looking at her, and the comments from the day prior came back to him, _'So, she thinks I am cute?'_ sure, she also mentioned he was scraggly, but, she did mention he was cute, maybe she liked scraggly guys?

As he began to walk towards them, he noticed the white themed beauty was speaking animatedly to another girl.

She had long red hair that was done up in a waist-length ponytail, which curled slightly into a loose ringlet. Her eyes were a shade of green that was incredibly vivid, and she had a small amount of light green eyeshadow around the upper corners of her eyes. She was tall, _really_ tall, and she had a noticeable muscular tone. She had a bronze circlet headpiece that sat just above her ear, and a pair of small green teardrop gems hung from the circlet in thin chains. She had a bronze gorget around her neck, and a bronze armlet on the upper portion of her left arm.

She wore a light brown top, with a strapless bottom split with bronze patterns. The top had some embroidery on the sides. She also wore a low bronze V-neck beneath that, and a red, A-line miniskirt, with a red ankle length drapery which seemed to be wrapped around her skirt. Her forearms were adorned with cut off sleeves that covered her forearms and hands.

On her right hip, there was a small, circular bronze plate with an emblem on it that resembled a shield and spear. A pair of pouches, both connected to a belt sat opposite the plate. Covering her legs were an elaborate pair of bronze greaves that began mid-thigh, and continued downwards into her boots, a pair of cuisses began at the same height and ended slightly above her knees. Her boots were high heeled, and trimmed with bronze, which matched their brown color perfectly.

He smiled as he headed towards the girl in white, a confident stride, and a smile on his face.

* * *

She was trying to be polite, really she was, but after the last six times she had been asked to 'join forces' her patience was wearing quite thin.

Her most recent 'admirer' was none other than Weiss Schnee, the heiress apparent to the Schnee Dust Company. She had been trying to speak to her, only for her to be sidelined repeatedly by her other 'admirers' until she managed to corner her at her locker this morning.

To think, they were practically neighbors with how close their lockers were to each other.

Weiss had already tried to set her poorly veiled plan in motion by starting a bit of small talk, "So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on?"

Pyrrha looked at Weiss as the white haired heiress opened her locker, and began to look herself over in the mirror, but keeping Pyrrha's reflection placed where she could observe her.

"I'm sure that _everyone_ is eager to join forces with such a strong, skilled, and well known huntress in training, such as yourself."

Pyrrha turned her head slightly, and rolled her eyes, just outside of Weiss' field of vision, as she gave off a soft hum, pretending to be genuinely thinking about it, "I'm not quite sure to be honest." she glanced around, looking for any way to escape continuing the conversation, "I was planning to let the chips fall where they may."

Weiss' eyes lit up, and Pyrrha couldn't help but wince as she saw the hopeful look in her eyes.

"Well, if that is the case, perhaps you and I could join the same team?" she said with a soft smile, trying to show as much enthusiasm to the idea as possible.

Pyrrha smiled back at Weiss, even as she clenched her fist, a nervous habit she developed when trying to hide her true thoughts on the matter, dealing with reporters and admirers who only saw her for _what_ she was, not _who_ she was, had caused the habit to become harder to break, the more she tried.

She could see the ambition in Weiss' eyes, it was no different than her other 'admirers' who saw her fame and skill, and wanted to exploit it to their own ends.

But that hopeful look in her eyes, how could she say no?

"T-that sounds quite grand." she felt her voice crack as she lied to Weiss, in truth, she would rather she not be placed on the same team as Weiss, or anybody who knew of her.

Which narrowed down the options for teammates to an almost nonexistent amount, the likelihood of finding somebody who didn't at least know of her, was as likely as the Grimm suddenly vanishing from the face of Remnant overnight.

It seemed she would be forced to deal with more of her 'admirers', no matter how far she ran to get away from them.

"Why hello there ladies."

Pyrrha turned her head to see who had spoken, and her breathing hitched in her throat as she saw who had spoken.

The one who had spoken was a male student, his complexion was pale, and his blue eyes sparkled in the light in a manner that almost seemed iridescent, his golden blonde hair shimmering in a lustrous fashion, as he walked up to them with a confident stride, and a smile on his face.

She could not deny he was handsome, in a boyish sort of way, not at all unpleasant to look at.

With that however, she had to force a smile to her face, no doubt he was one of her admirers, coming to ask her to join his team an-

Did he just turn his back on her to look at Weiss?

"You know what else is great, me, Jaune Arc, at your service milady." he held his hand out to Weiss, and bowed his head ever so slightly.

Weiss saw him, and seemed to roll her eyes in contempt, "Oh not you again." she muttered as a hand came to her forehead, and she began to massage her temples in annoyance.

Pyrrha was still somewhat stunned that he had just ignored her, though, a small part of her thought it was another tactic to try and get close to her, similarly to how Weiss tried to bring her to her side with small talk. She put on the best smile she could, and stepped beside Weiss, and smiled as she looked at him, "It's nice to meet you Jaun-" she was cut off as Jaune gently pushed her aside, and stepped closer to Weiss

"Yeah, yeah." he said with a rapid tone of politeness, as if to not come across as being too rude.

This action however, had garnered a completely different reaction from Weiss. She stared at Jaune with widened eyes, looking at him as if he had grown a third head, as she looked between him and Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was no less surprised, and it showed, even as she observed from the sidelines.

This was unexpected.

"So, Weiss, was it?" he asked with that same smile on her face, "I couldn't help but overhear your fondness towards me last night." he said as he flexed his right arm, in an attempt to show off to the young heiress.

Weiss lowered her head into her palms, her face tinged red, "Oh you have got to be kidding me." she ground out as her teeth grinded against each other

Jaune noticed this, and his smile seemed to become more forced, as if realizing a mistake was made, "Now, now, no need to get embarrassed." he said, completely oblivious. "So, I've been hearing rumors about teams…" he said with a noticeable cheerful tune, "…I was thinking, you and me, might make a good one, whaddya say?"

Pyrrha chose this moment to cut in, "A-actually…" her voice cracked a bit, "…I think the teams are comprised of four students each."

This was not happening, it was surreal, this boy, came out of nowhere, and was completely ignoring her.

The boy in question slumped his shoulders, almost in a disappointed manner, "You don't say." he said looking at Weiss, before he turned back towards her, and stepped up to her, regaining some of his earlier cheerfulness.

Pyrrha put a smile on her face, but inside her head, she was thinking a mile a minute, _'This can't be real, can it?'_ she asked herself with a measure of hope.

Jaune stopped in front of her, that same smile from before gracing his features, "Well hot stuff, play your cards right, and I think we can squeeze you in on the winning team." he said pointing to himself, and Weiss, or rather, where she had been standing.

The girl had stepped between the two, and had swiftly pushed them apart, "Look, Jaune, was it?"

Jaune turned to Weiss and smiled, "Yes?"

The girl his vision was focused upon, took a deep breath, "Do you…have any idea, who it is you're talking to?" she asked with no small amount of curiosity.

Jaune tilted his head, and the smile seemed to go away for a moment as he turned to look at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha just smiled and waved, and she felt that small flicker of hope die in her chest, _'He'll recognize me, and go about treating me like everyone else do-'_

"Not in the slightest snow angel."

A grain of sand falling to the ground could have been heard from the silence that followed after his statement.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock as she looked into his own for any sign of deception, and no matter how hard she looked, she could find none.

He was being serious?!

Weiss had a similar expression of shock on her features as she gestured to Pyrrha, "T-this is Pyrrha Nikos."

The red haired beauty waved again and smiled, her voice holding a noticeably more pleased tone, "Hello again." she responded as she began to shiver with excitement _'Is this real?'_

"Nice to meet you Pyrrha."

Weiss' expression was one of complete confusion, "Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!" she snapped at Jaune, who remained oblivious to her tone of voice.

"Never heard of it." he said with a confused and innocent expression.

Weiss however seemed to become far more frustrated, "She's won the Mistral regional tournaments _four years_ in a row, a new record!" she looked between Jaune and Pyrrha, her left eye twitching as she saw no recognition appear on Jaune's face, in fact, he seemed to become even more confused.

"The what now?" he let one of his eyebrows raise to show just how out of the loop he was.

Pyrrha's eyes began to sparkle as her body tremble in excitement, her hands squeezing together behind her back as she tried to contain the joyous feeling permeating throughout her body.

Weiss became flustered and frustrated, and she began to flail her arms about, as her vocal tone seemed to rise in pitch, "She's on the front cover of every box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box! All of them!"

Finally, the blondes eyes widened in recognition, "Gaaaah! That's you?!"

Pyrrha looked down to her side to hide the embarrassed flush that came to her features.

Weiss on the other hand, let her head fall as she slapped her palm against her forehead, muttering under her breath, 'That's where you recognize her from?'

"They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

Pyrrha felt a grin come to her lips, "Y-yeah, it was pretty fun." she gained a sheepish look, "Even if the cereal isn't that good for you." it really wasn't, and a part of her still felt terrible for promoting that cereal, which had become a staple in almost every home in Mistral.

Those poor kids.

Weiss recovered from her disbelief, and placed a haughty smile on her face as she stepped forward. "So, knowing all this, do you really think you're in a position to ask _her_ to be on your team?"

Jaune seemed to gain a downcast expression, and Pyrrha couldn't hide the glare she was directing at the back of Weiss' skull as he spoke, "W-well, I suppose not."

' _No, no, no, this is not happening.'_ She was not about to lose the chance of getting to know somebody who didn't see her for her title.

She stepped past Weiss, bumping against Weiss' shoulder, causing the much smaller student to stumble a moment, before she placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, "A-actually Jaune, I think you'd make a great leader."

Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly, leader? Why did she say that? She meant to say teammate. Oh now he was going to think she was some weirdo who-

Jaune seemed to be amused by her slipup however, as he began to laugh, "Oh, I wouldn't go that far, buuuut-"

Pyrrha's eyes focused completely onto him, and she felt that same spark of hope from before begin to burn a little bit brighter.

"Please, don't encourage this behavior."

Pyrrha had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out at Weiss, who was now standing between her and Jaune.

Jaune seemed to perk up regardless, and turned back his attention to Weiss, "Looks like Pyrrha is up to joining team Jaune, eh Weiss?" he looked around, pretending to be nonchalant, "Now, I know I am technically not supposed to do this, buuuut maybe I can pull a few strings, get you a place on the team? Whaddya think of that, Snow Angel?" he said leaning towards her.

Pyrrha couldn't help the tightening of her fist as she saw how close the two were, the first person to talk to her and not know who she is, and an uptight heiress who followed in the worshipping footsteps of all her other admirers, as teammates, the very idea of it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Weiss too was annoyed by the closeness, but for different reasons, "Ok, that is too much…" she looked past Jaune at Pyrrha, "…Pyrrha, a little help please?"

Pyrrha glanced back at Weiss, and responded swiftly, pulling out Milo, and letting the hilt extend, as it shifted into a spear form, she swiftly threw it towards Jaune, the tip of the spear pinning into the hood of his hoodie, sending him flying backwards, and pinning him against the far wall…away from Weiss.

She winced, as she saw him slam into the wall, even as she tried to comfort herself with the fact he and Weiss were separate, for now.

She winced as she knew she had overreacted in trying to get Jaune away from Weiss, but, if the two teamed up, and Weiss instilled her views of Pyrrha onto him, she would lose out on her only chance to have a friend she could get to know without her fame getting in the way.

That didn't make seeing him slam into the wall any less painful to look at, "I'm sorry!" she called out to him, hoping that he did not hold a grudge against her because of her gross overreaction in getting him as far from Weiss as was currently possible, even her internal thoughts, telling her that, for now, Weiss could not instill her views of Pyrrha onto him, thus losing out on a chance to have a friend who saw her for _her_ and not her fame.

"It's ok." he responded back, waving his hand back at her.

Weiss turned her head, a 'hmph' of annoyance escaping her lips, "Come on Pyrrha, we should get going, they'll probably call us for initiation soon enough."

Pyrrha shook her head, she really didn't want to go, but couldn't think of a good enough excuse not to go at this time. She nodded back at Weiss as she began to leave, before walking up to Jaune, and pulling Milo from the wall, releasing Jaune from it as well, "I am really sorry about that…uhm…" she grinned nervously, "It really was nice to meet you Jaune."

Jaune smiled as he looked up at her, though it was noticeably strained, "Likewise."

Pyrrha flinched as she heard his tone of voice, and she took a deep breath as she looked back down at him, "See you during initiation Jaune." she patted his shoulder, "I'm still interested in that spot on your team."

That seemed to cheer him up, as the strained grin turned into a genuine one, as he chuckled, "I'm sure I can pull some strings for ya."

Pyrrha giggled softly into her palm, "I hope so." she began to walk away, but not before waving back at him, "See you later Jaune."

Jaune smiled back at her, as he began to rise to his feet, even as Pyrrha left the locker room.

The smile on her face didn't go away, as she began to think on all the possibilities this newfound potential friendship could create.

She was glad she chose to go to Beacon.

* * *

After the incident in the lockers, he was confronted by Ruby and Yang, who gave him a quick dusting off, and a short pep-talk, before one of the professors, Glynda Goodwitch, if he heard correctly, announced over the intercom that all first year students were to report to the 'Beacon Cliffs'. It had not taken him very long to get there, it was, after all, right outside the academy grounds.

Standing nearby the cliffs were two professors, or, more accurately, one professor, and the headmaster.

The professor, Glynda, was a middle aged woman, who had very light blonde hair tied back into a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. She had bright green eyes, and wore thin glasses. She had teal earrings with a small bead of the same shade on the collar of her suit collar. Her suit was a long sleeved white suit with puffy sleeves, and she wore a black business skirt with buttons running vertically up the front of it, and light brown stockings.

She wore black boots with brown heels, but what was most noticeable about her, was the fact she wore a tattered cap, with a purple interior, and a black exterior, with a row of golden diamond shaped beads horizontally crossing her cape, and a golden Tiara shaped emblem adorned the top of the cape as well.

The headmaster, Ozpin, was a middle aged man with gray hair, and thin black eyebrows. He was noticeably pale in complexion, and his facial structure was, in a word, sharp. He wore shaded spectacles, and a dark green scarf with a small purple cross-shaped emblem adorned it, very similar to the cross shape on the idol in the temple. He wore an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest, with a green undershirt, dark green pants, with a pair of black trouser shoes to finish off the outfit. In one hand he held a coffee mug, with the Beacon emblem on it, and in the other, a Cane, with a knuckle guard around the edge.

Ozpin turned his gaze towards Jaune, and quickly, the blonde's gaze turned away, as he felt those eyes of his peer into his own, and it caused a shiver of discomfort to crawl up his spine.

The headmasters gaze caused a similar reaction as he passed his gaze over the rest of the first year students, before he began to speak, "My students, for years of your life, you have trained, honed your skills, and pushed yourselves to new heights to become warriors, Huntsman and Huntresses, however over the next three days, those skills you have spent honing over the years, will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." he cast a sweeping glance over the forest below.

The forest in question certainly lived up to its name. The forest was the deepest shade of green they had ever seen in their lives.

The trees were tall as well, no doubt casting a shadow across the undergrowth below.

Jaune clenched his fist, as his eyes widened fearfully, as he looked at the forest below.

Standing near the end of the group, Pyrrha had been looking at Jaune, and noticed the fearful expression on his face, as well as the clear signs of tension in his body.

Her lips curled into a frown in concern, even as he closed his eyes, and began to take deep calming breaths.

"Now…" Pyrrha's attention, along with that of the rest of the first years, turned completely towards the blond professor, "…no doubt you have all heard about the assignment of teams, we will now erase all misconceptions you may have had. You will each be assigned teammates, today."

A disappointed groan came from Ruby, as Ozpin began to speak, "These teammates will be with you over the next four years, you will room with them, you will fight with them, you will eat with them, so, it is in your best interest to join up with someone who you will be able to work with."

At this, several students began to look at one another, giving knowing smiles to one another.

"With that said, the first person you make eye contact after your landing, will be your partner over the next four years.

"W-what?!" Weiss and Ruby yelled in unison, as everyone else stared at the headmaster as if he were a madman.

"After you have partnered up, you will spend the next three days making your way to a temple in the Northern edge of the forest, there, you will acquire a relic, and make your way back here. You _will_ meet opposition from all manner of Grimm. Do not hesitate to destroy any Grimm in your path, or you most certainly will die."

'Gulp' Jaune felt his throat suddenly become a lot drier as he looked down at the forest.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation by myself and Miss Goodwitch…"

The students were silent, staring at him with a level of fear and concern as they glanced at the forest, as they tried to put on a brave face.

Ozpin had to hold back a smirk as he saw right through it.

"Now then, are there any questions?" he looked around, barely noticing the raised hand of one Jaune Arc.

"Yeah, uhm, Headmaster, I-"

"Good, now, take your positions."

Jaune blinked as he looked around, and saw the others did as told, "Uhm, sir, what exactly is this 'landing' you mean, are you gonna drop us off somewhere?" the tone of nervousness was easily noticeable, as he was reminded of the 'display' on the airship.

"No, you will be falling." the headmaster took another sip of his coffee, as Glynda began to input buttons.

'Twang'

Jaune's gaze snapped to the side as he heard the noticeable ping of a spring, and he saw several students be launched into the air.

His eyes widened in horror, his gaze rapidly snapping between his now flying classmates, and Ozpin, "Wait, y-you're launching us into the forest without a parachute or anything?!" he asked incredulously.

'Twang' he could feel the resulting spring launch to his side as Ruby was launched into the air.

Jaune looked at Ozpin, who had a small twitch at the edge of his lips, "Oh you psych-OOOOOAAAAH!"

Jaune's insult was cut off as the spring launch below him suddenly went off, and he was sent soaring through the air along with the rest of the first years, screaming in terror all the way up.

* * *

Pyrrha soared through the air, her hair whipping behind her, as she held out her weapons, Milo and Akouo, as she began to fall towards the tree line. She held out Akouo firmly, just as she was about to hit the trees, resulting in Akouo breaking through the trees, before she rolled into a combat position, as her weapon, Milo, began to shift into the form of a rifle.

Peering through the scope, she looked around for any sign of Grimm, or one of her classmates.

Her pupil dilated as she caught sight of one student in particular, tumbling through the air helplessly.

Her eyes became wide, as she pulled the scope away from her, and she began to twirl her rifle in her grip, as it began to shift into its spear form. She pulled her arm back, and focused on the falling form of Jaune Arc, and launched the spear as hard as she could, as a burst fired out from the other end, sending it hurtling towards him.

'Twang' the distant sound of her spear embedding itself into a tree echoed from the forest.

"Thank you!" and a smile came to Pyrrha's face as she heard the voice of Jaune Arc calling out.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back to him, before she jumped down from the tree tops, and made a beeline towards his position.

The smile never leaving her face as she did so.

* * *

Jaune stared off at the forest, looking around from his perch, his hoodie pinned to a tree by a very familiar spear.

"So, this is how I am going to start the day, great." he let his head fall, only to wince as he saw just how high up he was, "I am really glad I didn't have a good angle to pull out the spear." he glanced back up at the spear, and a look of realization came to his face, "I'm talking to myself…great." sighing in frustration.

"Jaune?"

Jaune's ears perked up, and he looked back down, and saw the face of Pyrrha looking up at him as she walked towards him, a smile on her face.

Jaune let a grin cover his own features, "Hey Pyrrha!" he waved back at her.

Pyrrha stopped below the tree, "So, are there still open spots on your team?"

Jaune could not hold back his laughter, "Pyrrha, for saving my neck, I'd clear the roster for you, but, to answer your question no, team Jaune is just me for now."

Pyrrha giggled into her palm, as she held up two fingers, "Mind if we raise that to two?"

Jaune crossed his arms, and let a grin come to his features, "I'd be happy to oblige." he blushed in embarrassment, "Uhm, could I have some help getting down from here?" he pointed at the spear and himself, "Bad angle."

Her eyes widened, "Oh, right, sorry!" she jumped onto the side of the tree, and ran up it.

Jaune couldn't help but stare in shock as she suddenly reached his height, and grabbed onto the spear, and ripped it out of the tree.

That is when gravity did its work.

"Aaaaah!" Jaune yelled as he began to fall, as Pyrrha shot back down to the earth below him, and held out her arms, "Ooph!" catching him in her arms.

Pyrrha looked him over with concern, "Are you alright Jaune?"

Jaune sheepishly looked at her, and scratched the back of his head, "Never better." he said with a thumbs up.

Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief, "That's good." her smile returned to her face as she looked at him.

Jaune looked back at her, as his face began to grow red, "Uhm, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha blinked towards him, "Yes Jaune."

He pointed down at the ground, "Could you, uhm, please put me down?"

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, before she realized exactly how she was holding Jaune.

He was in her arms, being carried bridal style.

A deep crimson overtook Pyrrha's complexion, as she placed him down, letting him stand up, "S-sorry." she looked away embarrassingly.

Jaune was no less flushed as he looked the other way, "I-It's no problem."

Several moments of silence passed between the two of them, before Jaune spoke up, "So, w-we should probably get moving huh?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes, lets." she looked up at the sky, examining the position of the sun, "We need to go north, so, that way." she said indicating a direction.

Jaune nodded, "Yep, let's go."

With that, the two of them began their trek towards the northern temple, as their eyes began to dart left and right, looking for any sign of Grimm.

After a while, somehow not encountering any Grimm, Jaune turned to look at Pyrrha, "So, uhm, Pyrrha."

The red haired huntress in training glanced in Jaune's direction, her eyes looking into his own with curiosity, "Yes Jaune?"

Jaune coughed into his fist, "Well uhm, thank you for saving me back there, I probably would have been paste on the forest floor if you hadn't thrown your spear when you did."

Pyrrha flinched at the imagery, even as she perked up with a slight smile, "Oh, it was nothing honestly." she tilted her head and looked at him, "However, if you don't mind my asking, why didn't you use your weapon to stabilize your flight path?"

He tensed up, stumbling a bit as he did so, "U-uhm, what do you mean?" he asked nervously, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his head.

She took note of this as she continued, "I mean, your weapons, shouldn't you have been able to utilize them to slow your descent or steer you to a safer locat-" she looked at his side as she spoke, and noticed his sword at his side, but saw no sign of any other weapon, "Jaune, do you not have a ranged weapon?" her eyes widened ever so slightly as she came to a stop, Jaune stepping forward a few more paces, before coming to a stop several feet in front of her, and as she saw him from behind, she still saw no other weapon.

He only had a melee weapon?

Jaune turned to look back towards her, but looked down, a nervous smile on his face, "Well, you see, uhm…" he began to stumble for words, as he tried to think up a response.

"Jaune?" the blonde flinched at the serious tone in Pyrrha's voice, and he felt her hand on his chin, gently forcing him to look up at her, staring into her emerald green eyes, "Please, tell me, why don't you have a ranged weapon?"

After several seconds of the two staring into each other's eyes, Jaune finally let out a breath he had not realized he was holding, "I…didn't have the opportunity to get one, or learn how to use one."

Pyrrha just stared back at him, waiting for him to continue, as she removed her hand from his chin.

"My own weapon, isn't even technically mine, it was my grandfather's." he let his hand gently wrap around the hilt, "He gave it to me before I came here, it was the only weapon I had any chance of using properly, but, it was more than that." he paused, as if trying to find the right words, as he tightened his grip on the hilt "It's also my legacy, my grandfather wielded this sword, and my great grandfather, and my great great grandfather before him, it just seemed…right, to make them proud, by continuing this swords story, instead of letting it gather dust in the family chambers." he had gripped the hilt so tightly, that his knuckles had turned white.

Pyrrha's expression softened as she saw how tightly he gripped the blade, she couldn't help but empathize with him, but even still, "Jaune?"

Jaune looked back at her, releasing his grip on his sword, realizing how tightly he held it.

"While I admire your desire to wield a weapon such as your sword, not having a ranged weapon could prove dangerous in the future, not just for yourself, but for your teammates, or the people you will protect as a huntsman."

Jaune looked down at this, and sighed heavily, "I know, and I mean to correct the issue, but, I just haven't had the time, yet."

Pyrrha hummed to herself, as she brought a hand up to her chin, "Well, the school does have a forge. Perhaps after initiation, you and I can work on a long ranged weapon design, and have it built there?"

Jaune looked up at Pyrrha, his eyes wide in shock, "R-really?"

Pyrrha smiled back, "Yes, really, the school covers most of the cost, and whatever is left won't be terribly expensive, and it would give you a long ranged option in case you need to use one."

Jaune grinned back at her, "That would be spectacular!" he yelled out, covering his mouth, "Sorry."

Pyrrha let out a soft laugh from this, "It is fine Jaune, really." she glanced at his blade, "So, does the 'ancestral weapon' have a name?"

Jaune nodded in response, "Yes, its name is Crocea Mors."

She continued to look at it, an expression of curiosity on her face, "Would it be…ok if I could take a look at it?" she asked softly.

He tilted his head in confusion, but wrapped his hand around the hilt of Crocea Mors, and drew it, "Of course…" he held out the sword, so that Pyrrha could grab the handle. She gently wrapped her fingers around the hilt, and held it aloft, looking at the swords edge.

It was certainly a well-crafted weapon, especially for its time, a longsword with an edge that seemed to be quite sharp, bearing a golden cross guard, with blue wrapping around the hilt.

She lowered the sword, and gingerly handed it back to Jaune, "It certainly is a marvel of craftsmanship, to still be used by your grandfather, even so long after its initial forging, is a testament to its durability over the many decades."

Jaune chuckled nervously as he slid the sword back into its sheath, "Yeah, my grandfather always said that all of Atlas' firepower couldn't break the sword, though I think he was exaggerating a bit."

Pyrrha only smiled at that, "Well, all good stories have a bit of embellishment, don't they?" she turned on her heel and began to continue forward, as Jaune fell in line to her side.

After some time, Pyrrha began to gain further ground, unsurprising due to the length of her stride.

At some point, they began to cut through the underbrush, and as she pushed a branch aside, it swung back to smack Jaune in the face, "Ooph!" he cried out as he fell backwards.

Hearing the sudden commotion, Pyrrha turned around, and saw Jaune standing up, "Oh my, Jaune, I am so sorry, I didn't know it would swing back that hard." she looked at the branch and back at Jaune, before she ran over to try and help him up.

Jaune waved Pyrrha off, "It's fine, really, let's just keep go-"

"Jaune?"

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, who was staring at him, or rather, his cheek in concern, "Uhm, yes Pyrrha?"

She pointed at his cheek, "You're hurt."

His head tilted in confusion, as he rubbed his fingers along his cheek, and felt a small amount of blood, "Oh, this?" he said holding out his hand, "It's just a scratch, nothing to worry about."

"Jaune…" she said with concern, "…your aura should have stopped that."

Jaune could not hide the grimace as he processed Pyrrha's statement, "My…aura, right." he began to fidget in place, as he began to look away from Pyrrha.

Pyrrha's face showed deep concern, "Jaune, is your aura not unlocked?"

Jaune did not look her in the eyes, confirming her suspicions.

"Jaune, why isn't your aura unlocked?"

He did not answer her, instead opting to look away.

Memories playing out in his vision.

* * *

" _Mommy, why won't you let daddy unlock my aura?" he asked his mother as they sat at the table_

 _His mother cast a glance to his father, who looked away in response. She turned back at Jaune "Because I don't want you to get hurt Jaune."_

" _But Joanne and Bianca have theirs unlocked, and they aren't even training to be huntresses!" he yelled pointing at his sisters, who were seated next to their father._

 _His father rose from his seat, and snapped "Jaune Arc you will not talk to your mother in that manner again, this discussion is over, you will not have your aura unlocked, and that is final!"_

 _The telltale sign of tears shimmered at the edges of his eyes "I hate you!" he yelled, running back to his room, as the rest of his siblings looked on sadly, while his father fell back into his seat, as his hands ran through his hair, while his mother watched his fleeing form._

* * *

Evenings like that had been common in the Arc household, up until he was ten years old, he would ask to have his aura unlocked, his mother would not permit it, and his father would fall in line. They'd fight, they'd make up, and eventually, he just…stopped asking.

He still wanted to be a huntsman, even if his parents, or more accurately, his mother, did not allow it, but without aura, he was at a severe disadvantage.

Pyrrha saw the downcast look on his face, and immediately felt bad, clearly, whatever the reason for his aura not being unlocked, it was clear the reason was something that still hurt him.

"Uhm, Jaune…" she said, trying to change the subject, "…if you want, I could unlock your aura for you?"

Jaune's downcast expression seemed to evaporate, and he looked up at Pyrrha, "R-really?"

Pyrrha smiled back at him, "Yes, really."

Jaune grinned, and nearly leapt for joy as he cried out, "Woohoo!" he stood close to her, his excitement showing with the ear splitting grin on his face, "So, what do I do?"

Pyrrha laughed at his actions, and grabbed onto his shoulders, "Just, hold still, and I will do the rest."

Jaune did as was told, and stood in place, as Pyrrha placed one hand on his head, and the other over his heart, "Are you ready?"

Jaune nodded at her, his eyes steeling themselves for what was to come.

Pyrrha smiled back at him, and closed her eyes…

* * *

A dark haired male whose hair was done up in a long ponytail flipped backwards as he dodged the incoming strike from a massive black snake, only to be forced to leap out of the way of a second snake, this one white in color. As he skidded backwards, he looked upwards, revealing a single magenta streak on the left side of his hair, matching the color of his eyes.

He stood in a fighting stance, his dark green tailcoat allowing for a fluid motion as he saw the Grimm turn its full attention towards him

He snapped his fists forward, and out of his sleeves, came out a pair of dual sub-machine guns, with a blade attached to the end of each, the same color as his coat.

The Grimm hissed angrily at him, as they coiled themselves, ready to strike.

* * *

Yang Xiao-Long smashed her dual shotgun gauntlets into the face of a bear-like creature of Grimm, as two others flanked her, and her partner.

She had a light olive complexion, and had long wavy black hair, her amber eyes shimmering in the forests dim lighting, which tilted upwards at the ends, a shade of light purple eye shadow complementing them.

She wore a black ribbon on the top of her head in the shape of a bow, along with a scarf-like collar around her neck.

She had on a black buttoned up vest with coattails, a sleeveless white shirt underneath that exposed her midriff, and white shorts with a zipper on each side. She wore black stockings that faded to purple as they neared her boots, which had low heels, an emblem adorned the outside of her stockings, in the shape of a flower. She had black ribbons around both of her arms, but a detached sleeve and a silver band uniquely adorned her left arm.

In her hands were a pair of blades, which she had used to cut down three Ursa already, and she was about to cut down another, while Yang pummeled the others.

Yang looked back at her, "So, can I get a name, huh, partner?"

The girl rolled her amber eyes and muttered, "Blake."

Yang hummed to herself as she cocked back her gauntlets, "Blake huh, I like it."

The Grimm began to charge forward, as the two huntresses in training did so as well.

* * *

Ruby ducked under the sweeping strike of a Beowulf, as Weiss, her partner, impaled it on her rapier.

The two had met up almost immediately, much to the white haired heiress' chagrin, however, before she could protest, they were surrounded by a rather large pack of Grimm, Beowolves to be accurate, which forced them to work together.

Ruby had immediately gone through with bisecting several of the Grimm, before Weiss followed up with using her Rapier as a focusing rod to cast several dust glyphs to freeze the Grimm in place, before she began to run them through with her blade.

However, they were pushed back, as several, much larger Grimm, arrived, Alpha Beowolves, much larger, much older, and far more dangerous than their smaller cousins.

Ruby and Weiss stood side by side, as the rest of the Beowolves gathered behind their larger kin, as they foamed and frothed at the mouth, eager to sink their teeth into their flesh.

Weiss looked at Ruby, "You think you can keep up?"

Ruby smiled as she cocked her sniper-scythe, Crescent Rose, "Do you need to ask?"

Weiss frowned, "Yes, yes I do." she pointed her rapier, Myrtenaster at the Grimm, as they began to charge.

* * *

Pyrrha allowed her aura to extend from her body, and begin to wrap around Jaune, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality."

Jaune's body began to glow with a soft light, as he felt an incredible warmth spread out through him.

"Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death."

That sensation grew, and yet, there was, something else.

"I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

With a blinding white light, Pyrrha was pushed back, as she stumbled, clutching her head as she cried out in pain.

Jaune saw her condition and he ran towards her, "Pyrrha, oh my god, are you alright?"

Pyrrha looked up at him, her pupils dilating, trying to readjust from the blinding light, "I-I'm fine Jaune."

Jaune was not convinced, "Pyrrha, you flew back from unlocking my aura, that doesn't seem fine to me."

Pyrrha blinked away the spots in her vision, rubbing her eyes, "I-It's fine Jaune, I…I've never actually unlocked anyone's aura before." she came to a fully standing position, as she slowly blinked away the lingering spots in her eyes.

Jaune looked at her, still concerned, "Is that why you went flying back and cried out in pain?"

Pyrrha looked at him, and squinted her eyes, and shook her head, "No, not entirely, mostly it's because of…well…your aura."

Jaune was clearly confused, "I don't understand."

"Jaune, you have a lot of aura, more than I have ever seen in a huntsman in training."

Jaune looked at her with shock, "Wait, seriously?"

She nodded back at him in response, "Yes, really, it's actually quite a marvel."

Jaune grinned as his expression changed to one of joy, "Yes, this is great, thank you so much Pyrrha, I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you."

Pyrrha let a soft smile come to her features, "We'll work on that at a later date, for now, let us press forward, we should find shelter before it becomes dark."

Jaune flinched, "O-oh, right, dark…yeah." he looked around in concern, "That would be a good idea."

Pyrrha smiled at Jaune as she turned around, "Alright, let's get moving then, if we hurry, we should be able to make it to the temple by tomorrow."

Jaune snapped himself out of his stupor, and ran after her, "Right, good idea, time's a wasting huh?"

She smiled as Jaune ran up beside her, before she turned her head away from him, as she began to think back to the moment she unlocked his aura.

Why did she see yellow eyes?

* * *

The dark haired male looked at the snake-like Grimm, which had suddenly stopped in place, as if some outside force had commanded them to cease.

His weapons, Stormflower, were still pointed at both of them, fearing they would turn their attention back to him, and continue with the attack.

The attack never came, instead, the dual headed Grimm began to slowly uncoil itself, and begin to leave the clearing, leaving him standing there, his normally stoic features showing a considerable amount of confusion.

He heard the rustling of branches behind him, and the telltale sound of something hitting the forest floor.

"Ren?"

The dark haired youth broke out of his stupor, to find an orange haired girl with turquoise eyes staring back at him. She was wearing a collared black vest that ended at her waist, and a sleeveless white top that formed a tiny-heart shape which barely showed off her cleavage and collarbone. She had white detached sleeves on each arm, and wore matching fingerless gloves on each hand. She also had on a pink skirt that ended mid-thigh, and her shoes were pink and white with pink laces.

"Nora?" Ren looked at his childhood friend, who had a similar look of confusion on her face.

"Grimm have red eyes, right?"

Ren looked at her with a questioning gaze, "Yes, why?"

Nora pointed back at the Grimm, as it left the clearing, and Ren looked back at it, and caught a glimpse of one of the retreating heads, and understood what she was referring to.

* * *

Yang and Blake watched curiously, as the Ursa Grimm began to waddle away, after suddenly coming to a stop in front of both the huntress' in training.

Not seconds after they stopped, did they turn their attention elsewhere, and begin to leave the area, leaving the blonde and brunette duo alone.

Yang leaned in towards Blake, "Grimm have red eyes right?"

"They're supposed to." Blake acknowledged, as she watched the Ursa reenter the forest.

"So, if that is the case…"

* * *

Weiss and Ruby nervously looked around as the Beowulf pack began to move around them, slowly trudging past them, ignoring them as if they were not even there, and yet, avoiding direct contact with them.

Ruby held her weapon at the ready, and Weiss was about to attack the Grimm, only for Ruby to grab her shoulder, "Let go of me you dolt-"

"Weiss, look at them."

Weiss cast an incredulous gaze at Ruby, "What are you-"

"Their eyes."

Weiss stopped her sudden retort, and with a groan, did as she was told, and looked at the Grimm.

And she felt her own eyes widen in confused shock, "B-but-"

"Grimm have red eyes."

Weiss looked back at Ruby, and snapped at her. "Then why are their eyes yellow?"

* * *

 **AN:** Well, there you all go, the first RWBY fic posted by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, this is only the first chapter, and more will come soon, don't worry, updates will be more frequent for this story, and others, so waits won't be NEARLY as long as they used to be. With that said, don't expect an update every single week, not that we won't try for that.

Now, to answer questions...

1\. Why the Temple and Pantheon?: Often, authors will use Monty Oum as the stand in 'God' of Remnant, dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger decided to do something different here, and give the people of Remnant a sort of religion. However, the Kingdoms have a different religion, than those outside the walls of the kingdoms, due to the two different lifestyles affecting what is, or is not, worshipped.

2\. Why did Jaune pray to a God from a Pantheon not his own?: Jaune, being raised outside the kingdoms, worshipped a different Pantheon, yes, but, that pantheon rules outside the Kingdoms and their settlements. This ties into certain older tribal cultures. Different cultures in the past, would have different gods that 'held power' in different regions, during those times, tribal nomads would pass through these settlements, and, as a sign of respect, would offer prayers to the local shrines, altars, and temples, as a sign of respect to that particular gods authority within a region, or at least, that is what I recall was the case. For a more modern look, look at the book series 'A Song of Ice and Fire', despite the primary religion of Westeros being'The Faith of the Seven' in the North, and beyond The Wall, the people worshiped the old gods, who held power within those regions, but not further south. In this case, Jaune is within a region where his gods do not have power, so, he offers prayers to the gods that do have power. The 'Temple of Nine' is the primary religion of those who live within the walls of the Kingdoms, and the assorted gods of this particular pantheon, will reflect that.

If you have any questions, leave them in a review, and we will try to get back to them in the next chapter.

 **God of Protection:** Patron divine of Huntsman and Huntresses, and other Guardians of Remnant, such as Soldiers, Police, and even Mothers and Fathers offer prayers to this God when they seek strength to guard and protect others. This God is often represented by a Shield wrapped around an androgynous figure, similarly to how a parent would embrace a child, with an ornate cross on the front of the shield. Worshipers of this God often wear a cross of some form on their clothing.

 **Recommendations:** Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Path of the Hero-The White Wulf

-Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-The Heat-wildstraydog

-The Warmth of Winter-RareNyte

-Squire-Dakaath

-Arc-Angel-KtyouVsWriting

-Legacy-Greatcow

-RWBY: The Grimm Warrior-CaptainPrice

-Blake's Mistake-wildstraydog

-RWBY: Destiny of Remnant-ultraguy7x

-How I Made You Meet Mom-PhantomGalaxy13

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

I surely will recall more stories that I feel deserve more recognition for the work their authors put in them, but for now, please check out these stories, they are a fantastic read, and deserve more attention than they are getting.

 **Please show your support...read, write, review, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons...**


	2. A Growing Terror

**Disclaimer** -Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchblade, or Artifacts in any way, shape, or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and is the creation of Monty Oum...The Darkness, Witchblade, and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice :** This story, along with just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon. We will extract elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy rewrite of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts, or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Now, without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

* * *

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee, taking in the aroma of the Valean blend which had become a familiar and necessary factor to his day to day routine of managing Beacon. Removing his lips from the edge of the mug as he tilted it back to an upright position in his grip, he turned his gaze towards the Emerald Forest, as his thoughts began to consider the initiates in the forest below.

"Ozpin…" the headmaster looked to his side, to see Glynda looking over her scroll with an expression that conveyed confusion as she looked through the camera feeds, "…something isn't right here."

Ozpin shuffled to her side and looked over her shoulder, glancing over the screen of her scroll.

The camera feed showed two of the initiates, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren, standing in the middle of an open field.

"Glynda, what isn't right here?" he looked to her, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

Glynda huffed softly and pointed at the two initiates, "Look at their faces."

Ozpin looked back at the screen, looked at the initiates faces, and saw their expressions of…confusion?

Seeing the realization on the headmasters face, she slid her finger across the screen, and showed another camera feed, "Look again."

The headmaster did so again, and saw the same expressions of confusion on another pair of initiates, Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna.

Glynda slid her finger across the screen once more, showing Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose, "They all have the same look of confusion."

Ozpin sighed as he turned to Glynda, "And, what, pray tell, is 'not right' about that, Miss Goodwitch?"

She frowned at him, "They are in the middle of a Grimm infested forest, and have been given a task, by all logical reasoning, they should be heading north towards the temple, not standing around in confusion, something caused this, that is what I find 'not right' about this situation."

"Have you checked the other initiates, to see if that same confusion is present?"

Glynda nodded her head, "Yes, the only exception being Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc." she slid her finger across the screen, showing a camera feed with the pair in question.

Ozpin looked at the screen, and saw the pair heading north at a steady pace, and their expressions lacked the confused look on the other initiates that he had seen. Which could only mean they had not yet seen whatever it was that caused the reactions of the others.

"It may be nothing for now, however, keep a close eye on the camera feeds, perhaps we will see whatever it is that has caused this 'situation'." he said slowly, bringing the coffee mug to his lips.

Glynda nodded and looked back at the screen, a frown coming to her features, "That Jaune fellow, I don't know who wrote his transcripts, but he is not ready for this level of combat."

Ozpin hummed softly to himself, "Funny, I recall you saying the same thing about a certain shy Faunus at last year's initiation."

Glynda flushed as she slid her finger across the screen, "That was different."

Ozpin smirked as he opened up his own scroll, "I'm sure it was." he took another sip of his coffee, as his scroll showed the paired Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos.

The headmaster looked at the blonde huntsman in training, and he couldn't help but agree with Glynda's statement. His stance, the way he carried himself, none of it showed the level of skill that his transcripts suggested.

Then again, he had always considered paperwork an unsuitable replacement for observation.

While Jaune seemed to lack the skill his transcripts suggested he possessed, Ozpin's eyes saw something that no words could give proper justice to. What it was, he could not explain, but he sensed something, special, about the boy, something that showed a great wealth of potential, if honed properly, but until that ability was brought forth, Jaune Arc was a puzzle.

He slid his finger across the screen again, this time, looking at his personal recommendation for Beacon, Ruby Rose, and her new partner, Weiss Schnee.

Ruby was an interesting youth, unique, and above all else, incredibly skilled. Her transcripts from Signal showed she was the top of her class in regards to combat training, besting students in her age group, and many of those several years older than her, and given the identity of her teacher, this was to be expected.

He let out a soft chuckle, _'Fifteen years old, and already more skilled with a scythe than you were, Qrow.'_

He had to jump through several legal hoops in order to allow her to attend Beacon early, and after several heated discussions with her teachers, the headmaster of Signal, and father and uncle, the latter of whom promising indescribable pain if anything happened to his niece, he had managed to convince them to allow Ruby to skip the remaining two years of Signal, and begin training at Beacon academy.

' _What a waste those two years would have been.'_ he thought to himself. Ruby was already top of class, had shown she was intelligent beyond her age group, and her skills surpassed even some of the Beacon initiates, it would have been a disservice to make her stay at Signal when she was clearly Beacon material.

Gripping his mug, he tilted it back to get another sip of coffee-

"Headmaster!"

Only to begin to choke on the warm beverage as he heard a student yell from behind, a clearly panicked tone to their voice.

Glynda had already turned to look at the student, a rabbit Faunus, who was wearing her school uniform, and was panting heavily, clearly having run here, "What is the matter Velvet?"

Velvet looked up at Glynda and Ozpin, the latter of whom regained his bearings, "My team, we were l-looking at the initiation c-camera feeds and…" she began to struggle to find the words, "…and we saw Grimm."

Glynda looked at her with a deadpan expression, "Grimm live in the forest Velvet, what is so strange about-"

"There were so many of them!" she said as she pointed at Glynda's scroll, "I-It's the west fields, l-look."

Glynda blinked in surprise at Velvet's outburst as she looked at her scroll, and slid her finger across the settings, and opened up the controls for the west fields camera feeds.

What she saw caused her eyes to widen, and a small gasp to escape her lips, "Ozpin."

The headmaster walked up to Glynda as she turned the scroll so he could see, and he responded in much the same way.

The camera feed showed Grimm walking through the fields, in larger numbers than he had ever seen so close to the school before; Beowolves, Ursa, King Taijitu, Deathstalkers, and so many other Grimm variants, trudging forward in a single direction.

Glynda looked closer at the screen, and her shocked expression gained a measure of confusion, "Their eyes."

Ozpin saw it too, the eyes of the Grimm were not the red color he had come to know, instead, they were a yellow tone.

"Glynda, was there a recent upgrade to the camera software?"

Glynda nodded, "Yes, there was, which could explain the eye difference." she looked back at Ozpin, "I will enter the forest and investigate." she turned off her scroll and was about to leap into the forest.

"No."

Glynda stopped mid stride, and snapped her gaze to Ozpin, "What?"

Ozpin looked at Glynda, a stern look upon his visage, "If you enter the forest, then all of the initiates will fail, regardless of whether you intentionally aid them or not. I want you to head back to the school and have all students prepare for an imminent incursion, make sure all the staff are made aware as well, and have them prepare as well."

Glynda looked like she was about to respond, only for Ozpin to hold up a hand to silence her, "This line of work comes with risks, and if it appears that they are in any immediate danger, I will intervene, but until that time we must give them the same chance as we give to each years initiates."

Glynda clenched her fist around her weapon, a riding crop, but nodded her head, "Yes sir." and she walked past him, back to the school, Velvet in tow.

Ozpin looked back at the emerald forest, as he saw the trees begin to shake below.

A wave of concern washed over him, _'I hope I am not making a mistake.'_

* * *

Jaune pushed aside a cluster of low hanging branches, as Pyrrha came up behind him, before letting them go, swinging back into place.

It had been several hours since Pyrrha unlocked his aura, and since then, the two had talked about various things, nothing personal, but just things to clear the air, and break the…silence.

Jaune looked around, as Pyrrha held her weapons, Milo and Akouo at the ready, both of them carried a look of unnerved vigilance.

The forest should not be this quiet.

No gunfire was heard, no roars of Grimm, absolutely nothing, as a matter of fact, they had not encountered a single Grimm since they entered the forest.

Pyrrha broke the silence, "This isn't right." she looked around in confusion, "There should be Grimm around every corner, or at the very least we should have encountered small groups of Grimm, but we have not seen one." she looked upward a the trees, and noticed the dimming light, "I don't like this." it was getting darker, if they Grimm hadn't attacked them yet, did that mean they were waiting for the cover of nightfall? No, that wasn't right, only older Grimm had that level of cognitive thought, and the Emerald Forest was regularly purged by the students of Beacon, there was no way that any Grimm had gained that level of intellect here.

At least, she hoped not.

Jaune voiced his own thoughts, "Maybe they purged the Grimm in the forest too well? I mean, maybe they are just taking longer to repopulate than usual?"

Pyrrha looked at Jaune, a small, albeit, strained smile coming to her face, "Y-yeah, that's probably it."

Jaune grinned as he looked the other way, his own grin faltering as he too noticed the dimming light, _'I hope so.'_

The two continued to trek onwards, as they cut through bushes, low hanging branches, and other forms of shrubbery.

The dimming light had all but vanished, barely allowing them to see further than a few yards.

Pyrrha sighed as she saw this, and looked back at Jaune, "It is getting too dark to keep moving forward, we should find shelter soon, and wait until sunrise to continue to the temple."

Jaune nodded in affirmation, as his eyes squinted, "Yeah, that would be a good idea." he said as he moved forward, staying in step with Pyrrha, as the light of the sun began to set over the horizon.

* * *

The trees began to shake, as the large horde of Grimm pushed through the underbrush, rubbing against the trees. The horde of Grimm were moving slowly, just below a normal walking pace, as their luminescent yellow eyes stared forward.

Stumbling after the horde, Ruby and Weiss had followed the Beowulf pack, however unintentional, it was not their intention to head after the Grimm horde, however, they were going in the same direction.

They could only hope that the Grimm were not homing in on the Northern Temple.

Weiss stumbled over a root, and glared at it, "Stupid root."

Ruby looked behind her at Weiss, and rolled her eyes, "Oh boy…" and shook her head, "…Weiss, have you ever gone hiking in the woods?"

Weiss glared at Ruby, a frown on her face, "Of course you dolt."

Ruby blinked at her, "In heels?"

Weiss remained silent, turning her head and crossing her arms.

Ruby shook her head, and looked around as the Grimm continued to ignore them, "Soooo, whaddya think is happening?"

Weiss looked around as well, an expression of nervousness crossing her features, "I don't know, nothing I've read ever mentioned something close to…this." she blinked and her nervous look became more intense, "Except Grimm incursions, but none of the history texts mention anything like this."

Ruby saw the look on Weiss' face, and a grin came to her features, "Oh don't worry Weiss." she threw an arm over the white themed girls shoulder, "There's nothing you need to worry about, not with Ruby Rose on point." she grinned at Weiss, who only stared at her as she slowly lifted Ruby's arm off her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." she said flatly as she stepped forward, tripping over another root, "Grrrr!" she clutched her hair angrily.

Ruby could only sigh as she shook her head, and began to follow after Weiss-

"Ruby!"

Ruby's head perked up, her eyes sparkling as she turned in the direction of the boisterous voice, "Yang!" and she burst forward, fluttering rose petals falling behind her as she slammed into her sister in a bone crushing hug.

"Nora!" the two sisters suddenly separated, Yang cocking back her weapons, Ember Celica, while Ruby reached for her scythe, as they stared at a grinning orange haired girl.

Said orange haired girl looked at Ruby and Yang, and began to wave her hands, "Hi there, I'm Nora, nice to meet you. Are you two teammates, friends, sisters…" she suddenly gasped as she looked behind Yang, "Hi there!" she zipped behind Yang, with the two sisters and Weiss, who had rejoined Ruby as they watched Nora suddenly grab the hand of Blake Belladonna and begin to rapidly shake it, "Hi there! I'm Nora, nice to meet you, what's your name?" she said rapidly as Blake managed to pry her arm out of Nora's grip.

"Nora!"

Nora blinked and turned around, seeing Ren standing next to a tree, frowning at her.

Nora blinked several times, before a sheepish grin took over her features, "I went overboard again didn't I?"

Ren blinked at her, "Yes, you did."

The orange haired girl giggled and looked back at Blake, "Sorry about that, no hard feelings?" she held out her hand, far more gently this time.

Blake looked at the hand questioningly, before she slowly reached out and gripped it, "Y-yeah, no hard feelings." as soon as Nora let go of her hand, she quickly returned it to her side, as Nora skipped over to Ren, who was shaking his head, albeit, a small grin was plastered to his features.

Yang looked around, the Grimm still walking past them, ignoring them, "Sooo, anybody got an idea what is going on?"

Weiss shook her head, "Like I told your…sister…" she said the word uncertainly as Ruby and Yang nodded, as if this was a common occurrence, "…none of the books I have read on Grimm behavior have said anything about this type of behavior."

"It's like they're homing in on something, and ignoring whatever else is in their way." they all turned to Ren, who was waving his hand in front of a passing Ursa, "It's like they don't see us, but, they register us enough to avoid walking into us." he watched as the Ursa passed them.

Nora hummed to herself as she saw another Ursa, "In that case-" Ren suddenly grabbed her shoulder, stopping her, "Oh come on Reeeeen!" she whined as she pouted in his direction.

He was unfazed, "Nora, just because they are not attacking us on sight doesn't mean they won't attack if provoked."

"They won't."

The six of them turned in the direction of the new voice, and saw a hulking armored figure walk through the treeline, a large mace hefted over his shoulder, his burnt orange hair slicked back.

Three others trailed up behind him, a shorter male with a Mohawk, another armored male with long dark blue hair, and a third one whose combed over hair was a light brown color.

Weiss looked at the larger member of the group, "And what exactly makes you say that?"

The larger huntsman in training hefted his mace, "Cause we just spent the last hour killing Grimm left and right, with absolutely no reaction from any of them. We took down an Ursa, and it didn't even fight back." he pointed at a Beowulf, "Go ahead, attack it, I am willing to bet Lien that you can stab that Beowulf over and over again, and it won't even look at you."

Weiss looked over at the Beowulf, it was a small one, not like the Alpha several paces away from it, it would not take much to kill it.

Weiss stepped over towards the Beowulf, slowly trudging along at the same slow below walking pace, before she thrust her rapier into its stomach.

Nothing, not even a howl of pain as the Grimm's black blood began to flow out of the wound.

Weiss pulled out her rapier, and pierced the Grimm's thigh, forcing it to stumble, likely having severed something in its leg, making walking more difficult. Even still though, it did not even turn to face her.

The others watched nervously, as Weiss ripped her rapier out, and slammed the Rapier into the Beowulf's hip, causing it to painfully stumble, as it was no longer able to use its legs.

Nothing, not a cry of pain, not a snarl of anger, not even a brief moment of acknowledgement, it just kept trying to move, using its arms to drag its broken lower body forward, leaving a trail of its black blood behind it.

The armored giant snorted, "See, what did I tell ya?"

Weiss kept looking at the Beowulf she had just impaled three times on her weapon, she still could not believe her eyes.

None of this made any sense.

The taller armored huntsman in training simply rolled his eyes, "Well, since we never actually agreed on betting lien, I think we'll just head to the forest temple, get this initiation over with." he hefted his mace and turned to the one with the Mohawk, "Let's go Russel." he looked at the other two behind them, "You two want to tag along, be my guest, just don't slow us down." he began to trudge north, in a direction the Grimm weren't going.

Yang leaned over to Blake as she saw them leave, "You think they know where they're going?"

Blake nodded, "I managed to catch a glimpse of a structure in the distance, which I assume is the Northern temple, the Grimm are going north, but they aren't headed in the direction of the temple, those four are going the right way."

Weiss looked back at them, "In that case, we should follow them and get this initiation over with." she began to follow after the four armored males.

"But wait, what about the Grimm?"

Weiss turned to Ruby, who was pointing at the Grimm, "What about them?"

Ruby placed her hands on her hips, "The Grimm are acting weird, don't you want to know why?"

Weiss huffed and snapped, "Of course I want to know, but we need to get to the temple to pass initiation, and I will not allow my grade to fall because of curiosity."

"She has a point." everyone turned to Ren.

Weiss smiled, "Thank you, glad to see somebody-"

"No, Ruby has a point."

Weiss' eyes snapped open, "What?!" she yelled back at him.

Ren ignored her "The Grimm are acting strange, more than strange actually, it would be beneficial to discover why it is they are acting this way."

"But what about the Northern temple?" Nora spoke up, tilting her head.

Ren answered her, "I am not suggesting we follow after them completely, but follow them a little longer, see if we can discern any additional patterns to report to the professors. Initiation takes three days, but that was calculated with an aggressive Grimm presence no doubt, these Grimm are acting the exact opposite, if we follow after them, and head to the temple, we should be able to complete our task in less than two days." he looked a Weiss, "It might even improve our grade." he indicated to the Beowulf that Weiss had mutilated, "Seeing as we cannot prove ourselves combat-wise, since none of them are attacking us."

Weiss looked at the Beowulf, and couldn't help but agree with him, the Grimm were not attacking them, so proving themselves via combat ability was not going to happen, unless the Grimm suddenly turned violent, or if they started fighting each other. The only other way to prove themselves was with intelligence gathering, and if there was something attracting the Grimm, wouldn't the professors want to know what?

Sighing, she looked back at Ren, "You have a point…" a cough to the side showed an annoyed Ruby, "…you too." she said softly, making Ruby grin in triumph.

Yang grinned as she placed her arm around Weiss' shoulder, "Awww, _Weiss_ so down Snow Angel?"

Yang was grinning like a maniac, as Ruby groaned, her hand coming up to her face as everybody else just stared at Yang, while Nora was patting Ruby on the back, and giving her a 'you have my pity' look.

Weiss stared at Yang, and held up three fingers, "First, don't touch me." she slid out of Yang's grip, "Second, don't call me Snow Angel, _ever_." she muttered under her breath, the words 'Jaune' and 'revenge' barely being heard, "And thirdly, that was the worst pun I have ever heard."

Yang rolled her eyes, "Oh like _you_ could do better?"

Weiss frowned, and cross her arms, turning away, "Well, why don't we _Yang_ out a bit and find out." Weiss' eyes snapped open as she realized what she just said, "Oh no." she said despondently.

"Noooooo!" Ruby yelled out as she fell to her knees, "It was bad enough with just Yang, but my own partner, why?!" she began to cry as Nora picked her up and patted her on the back, glaring at Weiss with a frown, as Ren and Blake crossed their arms.

Yang on the other hand was grinning, "Oh, I think we're gonna get along just fine, like two _Schnee's_ in a pod."

Weiss stomped on the ground and yelled, "That doesn't even make sense!"

Blake grabbed Yang by her ear, "Let's just follow the Grimm before you make Ruby cry…more."

Ruby was sniffling as she mumbled something, 'No more puns.' as Nora carried her on her back, sending glares at Weiss and Yang.

Weiss groaned as she came up from behind, the group of six following the horde of Grimm.

* * *

Jaune collapsed against the trunk of a tree, uncorking his canteen, and downing a swig of water. He let out a breath of relief as he tossed the canteen to Pyrrha, who caught it, and took a swig herself.

They were sitting at the base of a tree, with a pile of large stones, which looked to have once been part of an old structure, guarding one of their sides, with a flowing river on the opposite side, a small path allowed them to make a break for it if need be, and the river had several of the same large stones in it, which would allow them to cross the river if they needed to.

Overall, it was a decent place to set up shelter, thankfully they had found it before night fell completely.

Pyrrha passed his canteen back to him, "Thank you Jaune."

Jaune shoved the cork back into the top of the canteen, and grinned back at her, "You're welcome." he stretched and looked around.

Pyrrha did as well, and frowned, "We'll need to get some firewood." she looked back at Jaune, "I'll be right back, I won't go too far."

Jaune waved back at Pyrrha as she entered the woods, as he looked around at the 'shelter'.

"I suppose we'll need a fire pit." he stood up from where he was seated, and got to work on 'fixing' their temporary shelter.

He ripped up the grass in the center, and began to shovel out the surprisingly loose soil with his hands, creating a small pit. He then went around the site and gathered up some stones, which he set up around the pit.

After he set up the fire pit, he looked around, there was not really much he could do.

Looking down at his side, he saw Crocea Mors, and decided he should give it a once over, see if the blade needed to be cleaned at all. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and began to pull it out.

However, he slipped as he stumbled, and as he pulled it out, it went sailing through the air, and began to come flying back down towards his arm.

He tried to pull his arm back, to no avail, as the sharp edge of the blade slashed into the side of his arm, 'Sching' and promptly bounced off of a barrier of light which suddenly appeared on his arm, before clattering onto the ground.

Jaune stared at the sword, before his gaze turned to his arm, and he took a closer look at it, to see if there was a cut that he hadn't immediately noticed.

Nothing at all.

He looked down at the sword, and couldn't help but confusedly look at it, the edge of the blade was sharp, _very_ sharp. How did it not even scratch him?

He reached down and grabbed the hilt of Crocea Mors, and looked over at it, and then glanced back at his arm.

An idea popped into his head, as he slowly brought the edge of the blade closer to his arm.

Like before, a barrier of light, white in color, erupted around the point is sword would have made contact.

"My aura…?" he asked questioningly. He had a basic understanding of aura, even if his parents had refused to unlock it, he had managed to read several books on it before his parents had found out, and subsequently took them away from him.

But even still, the books could not truly convey what aura did, it was like nothing he had ever seen, personally anyways.

He slowly brought the edge of Crocea Mors against his arm, and this time, the aura didn't just stop it, it knocked it back, so much so that he had to tighten his grip around the hilt to keep it from flying out of his hand.

He looked at the blades edge, and then back at his arm, "I wonder if…" he tightened his grip on the hilt, and swung the blade at his arm a little harder.

His aura knocked it back, sparks flew off of his aura, whether from his aura interacting with the blade and causing friction, or if his aura created the sparks.

Jaune nodded his head, and pulled his arm back, and began to swing-

"Jaune!"

Only for his sword to be knocked out of his grip, as he was slammed into the ground, and he looked up at Pyrrha, whose eyes were filled with fear, shock, and anger.

"P-Pyrrha?" he stammered out.

"What were you doing?!" she half yelled at him, looking between him and his sword, the worry on her face still clear as day.

Jaune was confused, but answered, "I-I was messing with my aura, I thought-"

This seemed to turn Pyrrha's worry into anger, "Do you have any idea what could have happened? What if you ran out of aura and your sword actually hit you? You could have lost your arm, or worse, bled out in the middle of the forest!" she snapped at him, causing him to flinch, which made Pyrrha wince as well.

She didn't mean to come across that harsh, but what had he been thinking?!

Jaune looked down, "I-I…didn't think about that honestly." he looked back up at Pyrrha, "But look, I'm fine, there's nothing you-" he stopped as he saw the look in Pyrrha's eyes.

The melancholy made his heart clench in his chest

Pyrrha seemed to loosen her grip as she got off of him, and looked down at the ground, "I knew people who thought they could do what you just tried to do without consequences. Those same people lost their limbs, ending their huntsman and huntress career, but…" she clenched her fist as she turned away from him, "…the others weren't so lucky."

Jaune cringed as he took the time to think what he had done. He hadn't known you could run out of aura, likely a chapter he had not gotten to in his studies before his parents took the books from him, but he should have expected that was a possibility.

And now his ignorance had hurt his partner.

He looked at Pyrrha, and sighed, "I am sorry Pyrrha, really I am…" he brought his hand up behind his head, and began to scratch the back, "…I didn't exactly think that far ahead." he admitted shamefully.

Pyrrha was silent, and for a moment, Jaune thought she was going to ignore him, before a slow breath exited Pyrrha's lips, and she turned back to him, her eyes glistening softly, a small smile coming to her lips, "It's ok, I…should have reacted more calmly, but, seeing you swinging your sword at your arm like that…" she looked down as her smile lessened, "…I just panicked." she looked up at him, her eyes becoming harder, but maintaining a soft quality, "You really shouldn't have tried to do something so foolish Jaune."

Jaune nods, "I know, and really, I am sorry." he looked back at the fire pit, and saw the wood strewn about the edge, no doubt dropped by Pyrrha when she saw what he had been doing, "I'll get a fire going."

Pyrrha moved to stand up, only for Jaune to stop her, "No, I will get it, I think I've put you through the emotional wringer enough times today to let you have a moment to rest."

Pyrrha was about to protest, before Jaune's own gaze hardened, leaving no room for argument, and she shook her head, "Alright, thank you Jaune."

Jaune nodded back at her, as he turned to gather the firewood, and pile them inside the small pit, while Pyrrha leaned against the tree. After several minutes of gathering dry leaves and grass, stuffing them in between the logs, Jaune pulled out a small flint from his jacket, and began to slide it against the edge of a small piece of metal, causing sparks to ignite the dry grass and leaves. Several minutes later, the fire had gone from a smoldering burn, to a roaring burn.

The fires light cast its orange glow across the shelter the two of them had taken for the night, Pyrrha leaning against the tree, as Jaune did the same against the small outcropping of stones to the side.

For a while, the two were silent, as Jaune stared into the fire, a thoughtful look adorning his features.

As Jaune stared into the fire, Pyrrha was watching him from her place next to the tree, a similar look on her own features as her mind was filled with questions.

Jaune had no access to a firearm, or any ranged weapon, which according to him was because he never had the chance to acquire or learn how to utilize one. If he was training to be a huntsman, then that made no sense, he would have had plenty of opportunities to get a ranged weapon if he had been training in an academy, which suggested that he was either self-taught, or was placed under an apprenticeship of some kind, but the latter explanation would mean his teacher would have activated his aura, not to mention he had done something as foolish as testing his aura by swinging his sword at his arm.

He was clearly self-trained, but that didn't tell her much, and if the two of them were going to be teammates for the next four years, it would be beneficial to know as much as possible about one another.

Clearing her throat, she turned towards Jaune, tilting her head slightly to get a better look at him, "Jaune?"

He blinked, and looked at her, rubbing his eyes, "Uhm, yes Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha became nervous at this point, she was used to talking to crowds of people, and business associates, but they were always so impersonal, but this was not like those at all.

Steeling her resolve, she spoke up again, "I-I was wondering, if maybe you c-could tell me a little about yourself?" mentally berating herself for her stammering, she waited for Jaune's response.

He looked back at her, a confused expression on his features, "Oh, uhm…" he scratched the back of his head, "…well, my name is Jaune Arc, b-but then again you already knew that." she laughed softly at his statement, "Well, what would you like to know?" he glanced in her direction.

She felt herself stiffen at the question, what _did_ she want to know?

After several moments of thoughtful deliberation, she decided, "Well…what are your interests, what do you dislike, uhm…" she paused as she began to drum her fingers against her thighs, "…what was life like for you growing up?" she said slowly.

Jaune's flinch at the last question did not go unnoticed to her, no matter how slight it was, and she was about to take back the question.

"W-well, I like comic books, and I admittedly enjoy dancing, as for dislikes…" he sighed, "…wow this is cliché, but, I dislike bullies and liars." he looked at her, "As for growing up, well, I am the middle child of eight children, the other seven being girls, hence the enjoyment of dancing, and I have lived with my…parents…" he paused for a moment as he clenched one of his hands into a fist, before slowly releasing it, "…and my grandfather, so, it was alright I suppose, nothing all that interesting happened, aside from the usual Grimm encounters, but, that is pretty average outside the kingdoms huh?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened at the last part, "You were raised outside the kingdoms?" her tone conveying how shocking that was to her.

Jaune nodded, smiling, "Yep, in fact, until I came to Beacon, I had never actually been anywhere outside our settlement."

"And is it normal for those outside the kingdom to not have their aura unlocked?" she tilted her head in confusion and curiosity, a single eyebrow raised.

The small smile on Jaune's face fell, as he looked away, "No, it isn't."

Pyrrha looked down as she heard the tone of Jaune's voice, "Jaune, I'm sorry I-"

Jaune waved her off, "You don't need to apologize, it was a genuine and valid question, I know Huntsman and Huntresses need access to their aura, my family just never activated mine."

"Why?" Jaune looked back at Pyrrha, who looked at him with a soft expression, "Why didn't they activate your aura?"

Jaune and Pyrrha stared into each other's eyes for several moments, which seemed to drag on the longer they stared, until Jaune closed his eyes and sighed, "The never gave me an exact reason, but…" he paused as he looked back into the fire, his frown growing, "…based on the stories my mother told me, I can guess." he leaned back against the stones, "Just some obsession with an old myth."

Pyrrha frowned at his admission, "That seems a poor reason not to activate ones aura."

Jaune snorted as he grabbed another log and threw it into the fire, "We can agree on that Pyrrha, I just wish my mother could have seen that." he leaned back against the stones, and sighed, as his head turned to look at her, "So, what about you?"

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, "M-me?"

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, I mean, we're gonna be partners for the next four years, I'd like to get to know you."

Pyrrha blinked and shifted uncertainly, "Oh, uhm, ok…" she paused as she looked at Jaune, a smile coming to her lips, "…sorry, I admit I am not used to this, most of the time people know so much about me already."

Jaune shrugged, "Outside the kingdoms, remember?" he said with a cheeky grin.

Pyrrha giggled at this, "Right, that is true." she leaned against the tree and sighed, "Ok, well, my name is Pyrrha Nikos, I enjoy reading, and admittedly have a guilty pleasure with cartoons." she blushed at this admission, "I also admit to liking chocolate, I can't say which type I like more, as I enjoy the different flavors each one has." she hums softly to herself, "As for dislikes, well, I don't particularly like journalists or opportunists." she said with an edge, "Besides that, I dislike bullies and liars as well." she laughed softly at this, "A cliché we can share, no?"

Jaune nodded, "Cliché, maybe, but I don't see anything wrong with that one."

Pyrrha smiled at him, "As for what it was like growing up, well, I have two sisters, neither of whom are any good with weapons." she began to laugh softly, "My parents are both hunters, so they would switch off on who went on what missions, while the other stayed home and took care of us." she sighed, "But, when they were both home, we'd spend as much time as possible as a family, going out to restaurants, to carnivals, it was magical." she looked back at Jaune, "My favorite time was at the fairs, I'd win all the prizes at the booths." she blushed, "I am actually banned from sixteen fairs because I ended up completely emptying out several of the booths. Something my managers go out of their way not to mention in interviews."

Jaune couldn't help but laugh, "Oh man, that is pretty cool, is that where you got so good with throwing a spear?"

Her laughter in response only encouraged Jaune, "Oh you stop it, if you must know my father taught me how to throw a spear." she grinned, "But I will admit I used some of those skills in winning prizes at fairs."

Jaune clutched his chest, "Oh Pyrrha, it breaks my heart how you'd abuse your huntress training to win prizes from overpriced booths."

There was an air of silence between the two, before they both erupted into raucous laughter as the fire billowed, cueing Jaune to grab another log and toss it into the fire.

Pyrrha slowly regained control of herself, "I-I still…can't believe that, you have never heard of me until now."

Jaune shrugged, "Well, outside the kingdoms we don't receive much news of what goes on inside them." he looked over at her, "Why, are you disappointed?" he said as he used a stick to poke the fire to keep it burning.

Pyrrha shook her head, "No, I actually find it refreshing, but I will admit it is something I will have to get used to." she smiled, "And I think I'd like that." she shifted and turned towards Jaune, leaning against the tree, "So, what do you think of the kingdoms so far?"

Jaune sighed as he sat back down, "Well, it is certainly different than outside the kingdoms." he laid the stick next to him as he placed his hands behind his head, "The culture, the architecture, the religion." he chuckled, "Until today, I had never seen a Temple before."

"Oh?" Pyrrha shifted again, "What is the religion like outside the kingdoms?"

Jaune looked over at her, and blinked as a thoughtful expression overtook his features, "Well, we worship more than nine gods, and we have several pantheons, each one representing one of the…ecosystems…" he said slowly, not sure if he was using the proper word, "…of the surrounding settlements."

Pyrrha looked puzzled, "What do you mean by several pantheons?"

Jaune hummed softly to himself, "Well, there's the Pantheon of the Marsh, the Pantheon of the Timber, the Pantheon of the Estuary, and the Pantheon of the Wastes, just to name a few." he looked at Pyrrha, "Each Pantheon has gods representing fertility, hunting, strength, parenthood and so on, and each one is represented by an animal totem, the creature that particular god has chosen as its avatar upon the mortal coil." he looked back at the fire, "For instance, the God of Hunting in the Pantheon of the Timber, chose the wolf as its avatar upon the mortal coil." he shifted in his seat, "But the God of Hunting in the Pantheon of the Estuary chose the bear as its avatar."

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, "Why are there multiple gods for the same concept?"

Jaune glanced at Pyrrha, "Would you use the same tactics to fight in a marsh as you would in a desert?"

Pyrrha shook her head, "No."

Jaune nodded, "That is why, the Gods of each pantheon may represent the same concept, but what works in one scenario does not necessarily work in another scenario, hence why if one wished to ask for the favor of a God of Hunting, they would pray to the Pantheon which holds power in that particular environment. It would be kind of redundant to pray to the Marsh Pantheon when you were going to be in a desert no?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

Pyrrha chuckled in response, "No, I suppose not." she looked him over, and frowned, "If you don't mind my asking, why don't you carry a pendant or emblem of your gods?"

Jaune sighed as he leaned forward, "It isn't our way, we have altars in our homes, but we don't carry around symbols of the gods we worship, like I said, what works in one scenario doesn't work in others, so it would be pointless to carry a pendant of the water pantheon in a desert where there is no water."

Pyrrha nodded, "I see."

Jaune looked back at her, "Besides, it isn't like my gods have power within the kingdom or its territories." he smiled, "Their power is outside the kingdoms, not within them."

"I think I am starting to understand." she looked up at the sky, "We can talk more later, but for now, it is getting dark." her gaze turned towards Jaune, "You should get some sleep, I will take first watch."

Jaune seemed to stiffen as he looked back at her, "Uhm, a-are you sure?"

Jaune's nervousness did not go unnoticed by Pyrrha, "Yes, you set up camp and got the fire going, I have rested enough for now, and we both need to be at our best in case any Grimm show up." she stood up and grabbed her weapons, "I'll be fine, just get some rest, I will wake you when it is your turn to take the shift." she smiled, "Pleasant dreams."

Jaune nodded back at her as he turned away, and rolled on his side, his eyes slowly closing.

For a moment, he saw the doppelganger from his dreams, flinching as she clutched the hilt of his sword.

' _Pleasant dreams? I hope so.'_

As Jaune shifted to make himself more comfortable, Pyrrha's gaze lingered on him for a few moments longer.

However brief, she had seen the flash of fear in his eyes as she suggested he get some rest, and it made her wonder what it was he was so afraid of.

She hoped it was just apprehension about sleeping in a Grimm infested forest, but something about how his eyes shimmered in fear, suggested it was more than that.

The flinch and gripping of the hilt of his sword didn't confirm her suspicions, but it did make her wonder, _'I'm probably overthinking this.'_ she shook her head and began the first moment of her watch.

Her eyes turned back to Jaune's form as she heard him shiver.

* * *

Ozpin was staring through the screen of his scroll, as he watched six of the Beacon initiates following the horde of Grimm, which continued to move at the same slow trudge as before. One of the initiates, a miss Nora Valkyrie, if his memory served him correctly, had taken to leaping from the back of one Grimm to another, while her more stoic partner, Lie Ren, tried to get her to calm down.

'Crash' his heard turned to his side, as he saw an avian Grimm, a Nevermore to be accurate, this one no larger than an Ursa, crash into the edge of the cliff, before it began to tumble off the edge into the forest below.

And the massive swathe of Grimm that were visible, even from the peaks of the cliff.

The creatures of darkness below, were accompanied by the few Grimm capable of flight that were not shot out of the sky by the students and faculty, who had taken up positions around the school to begin emptying round after round into the winged monsters.

They had started firing upon the Grimm hours ago, and since then, not a single one of them had done anything to respond to the students, they just kept flying into the hail of bullets and dust strikes, and the Grimm that were shot out of the sky, and did not die on impact, tried to use what was left of their broken body to crawl to the edges of the cliff, and fling themselves off on their original path.

The look of concern on Ozpin's face, would have made even the most confident of Hunters wary.

"Headmaster!"

Ozpin turned his gaze behind him, to see Glynda, and two of his other subordinates, a large man with a white moustache, Peter Port, and a green haired man with glasses, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, rushing towards him.

He turned completely towards them as Bart spoke, "Headmaster, all the students have situated themselves across the academy, and have continued firing upon the Grimm, but they are beginning to run short on ammunition, should we call off their assault?"

Ozpin was quiet, as he looked up at the sky as it was lit up by the gunfire and dust strikes from his students, the Grimm were not attacking even when fired upon, when by all accounts they should have been swarming against the academy for the sole purpose of causing as much damage as possible.

It made no sense, to any of them, and for the first time, in a long time, Ozpin said something that most of those present could barely remember him saying even once, "I don't know." he looked at his scroll as he turned back towards the forest.

Glynda looked down at the forest, and saw the black wave of Grimm through the trees, and she opened up her scroll, and began to look through the camera feeds, until she found the six initiates who had begun to follow the Grimm, "That was a poor decision on their part."

"What else were they to do?"

Glynda snapped her gaze to Port, who had begun looking through the camera feeds with his own scroll, "Realistically, they were expected to complete initiation, but the Grimm are acting strange, completely alien to what we would expect their normal behavior to be like, no doubt they thought it a good idea to observe and see if there were any patterns that could explain it. It isn't as if they can prove their combat prowess when the Grimm aren't even attacking them." he frowned, "Though, it may have been better had they followed the example of the other group." he changed the camera feed to show the four males that had gone forward to the temple, and his eyes widened in concern, "Ozpin, which direction are the Grimm headed?"

Ozpin looked back at Port, and then examined the horde below, "They are headed North, why?"

Port's expression showed concern, "Because there is another horde passing the Northern temple, going west."

Both Glynda and Ozpin's eyes widened, as the two of them checked the camera feeds, and what they saw shocked them.

There was in fact another horde of Grimm headed west, the four males, including the towering Cardin Winchester and his apparent partner Russel Thrush, were watching the Grimm horde along with two other initiates, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark.

Oobleck took out his own scroll, and began to slide through the Camera feeds, "There is another horde coming from the North, heading south."

The other professors looked through the camera feeds, and slowly but surely, they began to see more Grimm coming from multiple directions, converging on a location inside the forest.

Ozpin looked to Oobleck, "Doctor, calculate-"

"Already on it!" he declared swiftly as he was looking at the coordinates of the camera feeds, and mentally calculating the most probably location where the Grimm were converging, "Based on the longitude and latitude, the direction of the movements of the hordes, they are most likely to converge..." he stopped as he slid his finger to a Camera feed displaying the most likely coordinates, "…oh no."

None present liked the tone in which Oobleck spoke, Glynda was the one to voice their concerns however, "What is it?"

He looked up at Glynda, a nervous and fearful look on his face, "I found where the Grimm are likely converging towards, or rather, _who_ they are likely converging towards."

Peter took the scroll from Oobleck, at his urging, and looked at the screen, "Oh dear."

Ozpin stared at the bespectacled professor, "Doctor, who are they converging on?"

Bartholomew Oobleck looked at Ozpin, and spoke softly, "The most likely convergence of the Grimm Horde is the current position of Pyrrha Nikos, and Jaune Arc."

Ozpin and Glynda's eyes widened as they slid through the scrolls camera feeds, and saw the two initiates in a small clearing beneath a tree.

"Uhm, Ozpin?"

The headmaster looked up at Port, who was now staring off to the side, "Look."

Ozpin turned his gaze to where peter was staring, as did Doctor Oobleck and Glynda.

To their side, they saw a Nevermore, whose wings had been clipped by gunfire, as it dragged itself across the surface of the cliff tops, as its eyes, which were once a dim yellow, began to glow a bright shimmering sickly yellow tone, as it began to thrash more violently as it tried to drag itself closer to the cliff.

Peter turned away from the Nevermore and looked at the camera feed he had just opened, "Oh dear gods."

Ozpin looked over Ports shoulder, as he stared at the vision the camera feed showed him.

The Grimm, which had once been moving at a steady pace, had suddenly picked up speed, as their eyes began to glow brighter, just as the crippled Nevermore's eyes had.

Ozpin looked at his scroll, and switched to the camera feed of Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos' current location.

His eyes caught sight of a twitching Jaune, his eyes fluttering in his sleep.

' _A Nightmare?'_

* * *

Pyrrha had been on watch for barely an hour by the time Jaune had fallen asleep, and mere minutes after he had done so, she could _hear_ the tremble of his body, and the whimpering he let out.

She turned to look at him, her face etched with concern, as he had curled into a fetal position, as his body was shaking.

"Jaune?" she called out, and stepped forward, putting her weapons against the tree as she kneeled down, and placed her hand on Jaune's shoulder, "Jaune?" she asked more forcefully, as she gently shook his shoulder, "Jaune! Wake up!" she said, slightly panicked as she saw a slow steady stream of tears dripping from his eyes.

* * *

 _It was dark, the shadows cast by the structures of his home, casting its shadow across the streets below, just before they erupted in flames._

 _The yellow eyed Grimm poured from the darkness, as his neighbors and friends were carved into and slaughtered by the incoming wave of monsters._

 _He leapt in front of an Ursa to save the life of a mother and child…_

 _Only for the claw to pass through him as if he wasn't even there, and slash through the mother and child both, while he stood still, unable to look away._

 _One after another, he threw himself in front of the Grimm, and one after another the Grimm phased through him, like he wasn't even there. His attempts to guide his fellow settlers away fell on deaf ears, as if they could neither see nor hear him, and he was forced to watch as the Grimm fell upon them like a wolf upon sheep._

 _He could do nothing in the face of this horde of darkness, he was nothing, less than nothing in the face of it._

' _J-Jaune…'_

 _He stiffened as he heard_ that _voice, his gaze shifting swiftly, as he heard her cry out to him._

 _He ran as fast as he could in the direction he heard her call, and what he found made bile spill out, as he was forced to look upon the mangled and ruined corpses of his family._

' _J-Jaune…' he heard her, he knew he heard her, she was still alive, he could still save her!_

 _He ran into the ruined mess before him, and there, he found her…his mother._

 _She had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as he did, long and fair, stained with blood seeping from a series of claw marks upon her face, one of her eyes destroyed as she looked up at him._

 _She could see him!_

' _Mother!' he reached for her, in the hopes he could stem the bleeding, in the hopes he could save her._

 _His fingertips phased through her like all the rest._

' _Jaune…why didn't you listen!' she cried out, as blood surged from her lips, and she coughed and hacked as he backed away from her, watching as the woman who had brought him into this world expired before his very eyes._

' _Ha ha ha ha…'_

 _His body stiffened, as he heard it, that vile noise, that horrid cackling._

 _He began to tremble, as he slowly turned his gaze in the direction of that horrible laughter, and his eyes were wide with horror._

 _It was him! That thing, his doppelganger, only, now, his flesh was adorned with black armor that clung to it like a second skin, as his yellow eyes burned with that horrible light, as the very shadows themselves began to uncoil, the yellow eyed Grimm flanking his position as the shadows shot towards him, wrapping around his legs._

 _He fell over trying to flee, as the shadows coiled around him, and began to pierce through his flesh._

 _The pain was indescribable, as the coiling shadows wrapped around his flesh, stabbing into his every nerve, his every cell, until it covered his entire body, leaving a small opening for one of his eyes to look at his doppelganger, who wore that horrid smirk on his face as he heard him speak…_

 _In_ his _voice._

' _Freedom, at last.'_

* * *

"Jaune! Jaune! Jaune wake up!" Jaune had begun to thrash in his sleep, his eyes fluttering madly, as he had curled so tightly into a fetal position, that his head was touching his knees.

Pyrrha kept shaking his shoulder, trying to awaken him, "Jaune, please, wake up!"

Suddenly, his eyes snapped opened, as he stared up at Pyrrha.

She sighed in relief, "Jaune, oh my god, I thought tha-"

"Aaaagh!" he clutched the hilt of Crocea Mors tightly as he swung, slamming one of his arms against Pyrrha's chest as he flipped her onto her back, as he brought the sword down, aiming for her neck.

Only for him to suddenly stop, as his eyes, which had been vacant upon his awakening, now took in his surroundings…and what he was about to do.

"O-oh…g-gods…" he released Crocea Mors as he shoved himself off of Pyrrha, stumbling back as the red haired champion regained her bearings, as she watched him stumble back, until he fell over the fire pit, and rolled to the side.

Carefully, Pyrrha stood, and watched as he tried to stand up, keeping as much distance between her and him as possible, "J-Jaune?" she asked carefully, finally gaining his attention.

He looked into her eyes, and she saw so much fear, that it scared her, "P-Pyrrha…I-I…I am so sorry." he slowly came to his knees, unable to stand, his body trembling as his breathing came out labored, and strained. He brought his hands up to his face, "I am s-so sorry."

Pyrrha began to step forward, as she heard him whispering beneath his breath, "Jaune…it's ok." she listened closer as she heard his whispering become louder.

"Get a hold of yourself."

She looked at him in confusion, "I'm sorry?" she asked as Jaune's hands began to clench into fists.

As he began to lightly smack himself in the side of the face.

"Jaune!" she ran forward, and grabbed his hands before he could hit himself again, even as he struggled to break out of her grip.

"Get a hold of yourself…get a hold of yourself Arc…damn it get a hold of your-"

"Jaune!" she snapped, breaking Jaune's trance as he looked at her, their gaze focusing on one another, as she saw the tear stains on his cheeks, and the dilation of his pupils.

He was afraid…

"Jaune, please, take a deep breath…" she demonstrated, taking in a deep breath, and then slowly let it out, "…then let it out slowly."

Jaune did as told, even as his body kept shaking, while Pyrrha held onto his wrists, keeping him in place.

Pyrrha smiled and nodded her head, "Good, now, again." she took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, which Jaune proceeded to imitate.

Slowly, Pyrrha felt the tension in Jaune's arms go away, and she released his wrists, slowly guiding them to stay flat in his lap, as they continued to take breaths, until finally, Jaune's breathing was steady.

They stayed like that for what several moments, until Jaune finally began to speak, "Thank you…I-I don't know why I-"

Pyrrha placed a single finger to his lips, "Jaune, it is alright, I shouldn't have tried to shake you awake, if it is anyone's fault, it's mine. We are in a Grimm infested forest, even if we haven't spotted any Grimm yet, I should have known better than to do that. So, don't apologize."

Jaune nodded in response, either afraid to use his voice, or afraid he'll just apologize, he did not know, all the while, Pyrrha held onto his wrists gently.

"Thank you, Pyrrha."

She looked up at him, and saw a smile begin to form, and it made her feel a sense of warmth as she gently squeezed his hand, "It's no trouble." she slowly began to stand-

'Creak'

Only for both her, and Jaune to suddenly stiffen, as they heard the clear signs of creaking trees, and it was getting louder.

Jaune and Pyrrha sprang into action, Jaune grabbing Crocea Mors, and his sheath, which quickly expanded into a heater shield, his emblem on the front, while Pyrrha grabbed Milo and Akouo and got into a combat stance.

The two of them stared into the forest, as they heard the sound of a tree falling over as they both tensed.

Both their eyes widened as a single white claw breached the darkness, and was illuminated by their fire.

"Deathstalker!" Pyrrha yelled as she stepped back, transforming Milo into its rifle form, "Jaune run, now!"

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, "But-"

"Just go Jaune, you don't have a ranged weapon, I can blind it so we can escape, just run, get across the river! I'll be right behind you." she began to open fire on the Deathstalker, as she saw its eyes in the darkness.

' _Yellow?'_ dismissing it as a trick of the fire, she kept firing, until she saw one of the eyes burst from a shot from her rifle.

The Grimm did not even screech in pain.

Jaune had jumped onto the first outcropping of stone in the water, as Pyrrha ran to join him, while the Deathstalker finally burst through the trees, and followed them.

The two initiates leapt onto the stones in the rivers flow, until they reached the other side, and they both turned their gaze back to the Deathstalker.

Which had just begun to cross the river itself.

Jaune narrowed his eyes as he looked closer, only for Pyrrha to whip out her rifle again, "Keep moving!" she fired on the Deathstalker again as she and Jaune ran into the forest, as the Deathstalker used the stone outcroppings to aid its movement across the river, until it used its claws to drag itself to shore.

* * *

The Grimm pushed through the forests, slipping through the trees like a winding serpent through grass, as they increased the pace as they suddenly began to shift directions, as if being drawn to a mobile beacon, calling out to them with its aria.

Ruby shot into the trees, a trail of rose petals following her as Weiss used her glyphs to boost herself to grab onto a low hanging branch as she was pulled up by Ren.

Yang had quickly used the taller Grimm to jump into the trees as Nora and Blake followed suit.

Blake looked at the ever charging swathe of Grimm, as they bumped into each other as they tried to avoid the trees, their movement increasing in speed as they ran through the forest, "We can't move on the ground any longer, there are too many Grimm for us to travel on foot."

Ren looked around and took in the branches, "If we are careful and use the limbs closer to the canopy, we should be able to continue tracking the Grimm to wherever they are headed."

Weiss looked down at the Grimm, "Do we have to?"

"Weiss…" the snow white heiress turned to look at her partner, gazing down at the Grimm with a stern look on her face, "…the Grimm have never acted like this, we need to know why, or at least find more clues on why they might be acting like this."

The white haired girl could only sigh, "I know, but look at all of them!" she gestured to the Grimm below, "If they turn aggressive suddenly, we don't stand a chance, this is out of our league." she said the last part quietly, though they all heard it.

Ren was glancing around, as his gaze took in the local surroundings, his eyes flashed for a moment, before he snapped his gaze towards the others, "If we stick to the branches closer to the canopy, we can keep following the Grimm in whatever path they are headed." he turned his gaze to the rest of them, "That is, if we all wish to continue following them, and not head to the temple to complete initiation."

The others shared looks of questioning, concern, curiosity, and a measure of uncertainty. If they followed the Grimm, they may find out what was happening, but like Weiss had said, if they turned aggressive, there was no way they would be able to fight back, their only choice would be to run, and with how many they are and how massive the horde was, it was highly unlikely they would be able to escape.

The blonde brawler broke the silence, "Well, I think we should-"

'Bang'

A gunshot echoed throughout the forest, garnering the attention of the six initiates.

Weiss' eyes widened as she recognized the pitch of the Gunshot, "Pyrrha!"

The black themed initiate looked at Weiss in confusion, "How do you know it's Pyrrha?"

Weiss had already begun conjuring a glyph as she answered, "I watched all her tournament fights, I'd recognize that rifle shot anywhere!" she leapt through the glyph, which sent her skyrocketing to the nearby branches, as she began to leap from limb to limb near the canopy as she headed in the direction of the continued gunfire.

Less than a second had passed before the remaining five initiates sprang into action and followed after the white haired heiress.

All the while, Nora continued to mutter about 'Fangirls' under her breath.

* * *

Jaune leapt over a fallen tree as Pyrrha came up behind, the Deathstalker still pursuing them.

Pyrrha looked through the scope of her rifle, and shot the Deathstalker, taking out another of its eyes, and like with the other two she had shot to pieces, it did not cry out in pain or anger, it was as if it did not even register the pain.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune called out to her, stopping as he climbed up an outcropping of stones that lead up to a small ledge.

Pyrrha snapped around and yelled back to him, "Keep moving Jaune! I'll be right behind you!" she cocked back the rifle and aimed at the Deathstalker again, and fired another shot into the Deathstalkers eye.

The Deathstalker was now down to just six of its eyes, and it began to show, no longer avoiding the trees, the massive Grimm began to smash into them, causing them to begin to creak and fall over, causing a domino effect, as one by one, great towering trees fell around them.

Pyrrha cocked back her rifle again, and aimed for the Grimm's eyes once more-

'Click'

The sound of an empty clip filled her with shock and dread as she realized she had expended the entirety of her ammunition trying to blind the Grimm, and only succeeded in taking out four of its eyes.

She began to shift her rifle into its Javelin form, and brought it back, and was about to throw it at the Deathstalker-

'Creak…Snap!'

"Pyrrha! Move now!"

Pyrrha's gaze snapped to her side as she heard the sound of a cracking trunk, and her eyes widened in shock as she saw the trees falling towards her.

Shifting her Javelin back into its sword form, she snapped around as quickly as possible, and leapt to avoid the collapsing trees-

"Ooph-Agh!"

Pyrrha was too slow to avoid the trunk of one of the trees from slamming into her legs, forcing her to descend swiftly as the tree crashed down on her legs and pinning her in place.

She slammed her sword into the ground as she tried to pull her legs free. An intense, sharp shot of pain ripped through her in response. Her legs may not be broken, but she could still feel intense pain from where she had been pinned.

'Click-Click-Click'

The Mistralian's eyes snapped upwards as she heard the clicking sound of the Deathstalkers claws as the half blind Grimm continued to stumble towards her.

Jaune looked on from the ledge, as he saw the Deathstalker get closer to her, and before he could even rationalize what he was doing, he was already airborne, leaping off of the ledge and landing on one of the fallen trees, rolling with the landing as he launched himself over the trunks, planting his feet into the ground in front of Pyrrha, who looked at him in confusion, swiftly turning to distress as she looked between him and the Deathstalker, "Jaune, run-"

Jaune did not listen to her as he held out his sword, and began to charge, his shield held up as his sword was held tightly in his grip, snarling, "Stay away from her!" he moved his foot forward, ready to meet the Grimm, aiming for the leg as it was about to step forward.

Jaune's strike froze mid motion however, as the Deathstalker suddenly stopped in its movement, its front leg freezing mid step, before slowly, carefully, returning to its previous position.

The Grimm stood there for less than a second, before it began to slowly and deliberately move its many legs to step further back.

Neither Jaune, nor Pyrrha made a single motion, their eyes unblinking as they stared at the Deathstalker as it continued to back away, until it suddenly stopped, and crouched down into what could only be described as a position of rest.

Pyrrha gawked at the Grimm, her eyes wide, confusion evident upon her features as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Had that Grimm…obeyed Jaune?

Jaune was peering at the Grimm, his expression showing such bewilderment, and turmoil, as he saw the Grimm's eyes.

Before, when he had seen them, he had attributed their color to a trick of the light, like what happens when you shined a flashlight into the eyes of a cat or a dog, but now that he was looking at it, _truly_ looking at it, he could see clear as day that it was not a trick of the light.

The Grimm's eyes were not the red color they were known to have, they were yellow.

Like the ones in his dreams.

A trembling sensation caused him to lose his grip on Crocea Mors, as the sword fell from his grip and the tip buried itself in the earth, all the while the Deathstalker just…watched.

'Creak'

Jaune and Pyrrha were snapped from their trance, if only momentarily as they both heard the creaking of the trees.

All around them.

Jaune turned his gaze to the forest hastily, looking left and right as he heard the shuffling of footsteps, the crushing of leaves, he knew this sound well, having heard it many times in his settlement outside the Kingdoms.

"Grimm Horde…" he whispered, low enough that Pyrrha could barely hear him, as her eyes widened in horror as she saw the shimmering eyes begin to pierce the veil of darkness around them.

Yellow eyes.

The turmoil in Jaune's expression began to turn to terror, as he looked at those eyes.

"N-no…please no…" he stepped back as he saw the Grimm closing in on them, their yellow eyes focusing on them.

No, on _him_.

From her position on the ground, she could see how Jaune suddenly froze up, and saw the horror on his features, she opened her mouth, about to call out to him.

"Pyrrha!"

Only to suddenly shift her attention to the side as she saw Weiss burst from the tree tops, followed closely by several other initiates she had seen in passing, as they quickly ran towards her.

Pyrrha was about to respond, when her peripheral vision caught a change in Jaune's posture, and his expression.

Jaune looked at the swarming Grimm, and then back at the Deathstalker, who prior had obeyed him, had done as he commanded.

He looked at the Grimm, and back at Pyrrha, his eyes widening as he saw six others, including Weiss, Ruby, Yang, and three others he didn't know suddenly arrive in the same clearing with them.

He stared at the incoming horde of Grimm, his psyche swirling with questions, did the Deathstalker obey him because it recognized him and Pyrrha as a threat…or…

Fear found its icy grip around his heart, as he looked up at the Grimm horde, his eyes growing colder as he steeled himself, his hand outstretched as he yelled out at the top of his lungs, "Stop!"

And with that single action, it seemed as though his questions had been answered.

For the moment that single word left his lips, the Grimm came to a sudden halt, their claws digging into the soil to cease their movement, as nevermore landed on the branches above, as the serpentine and insectoid Grimm came to a halt beside their dark formed brethren.

The clearing was silent, as the seven other hunter initiates, who had been trained from a young age to hunt the Grimm, beings of darkness whose sole purpose was the annihilation of mankind, human and Faunus alike, saw what they had all believed, no, _known_ to be impossible.

They had seen the impossible become possible, as they saw a _human_ command the Grimm.

"H-how?" the question fell from Nora's lips as she nervously looked around at the Grimm, for any sign they were waiting for a sign to attack, as if they were simply baiting the naïve blonde human so their kind could swoop in and lay waste to them and all others in their path.

Nothing, no growls, no shifting, not even a snort of defiance, instead, the eyes of every one of the Grimm were focused on the scraggly blonde haired hunter initiate.

They had obeyed _him_?

Similar looks of shock, and even fear, ghosted over the features of the other hunter initiates, as their gazes went from looking between the Grimm and Jaune, to completely focusing on Jaune, a questioning gaze on their features.

Jaune looked at the Grimm, his arm trembling, as he saw those yellow eyes focus on him.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he began to speak, "S-step b-back."

The stutter in his voice did not deter them from obeying his command, as the Grimm did as they were told, even the Nevermore and other winged Grimm that had perched themselves in the trees, stepping backwards as they fell from their perch, landing unceremoniously on the ground, before they recovered themselves, and kept stepping back along with the rest of their dark brethren.

"S-stop!" Jaune called out, and like before, the Grimm had obeyed, ceasing their actions, and turned all their attention towards him.

Pyrrha had managed to unpin her legs from underneath the tree, as she stared at the Grimm while Jaune commanded them.

Jaune had not noticed Pyrrha freeing herself from the tree, his body trembling as he focused on the Grimm.

The yellow eyed Grimm.

"L-lay…d-down."

The Grimm did as they were told, as they brought their bodies close to the ground, lying down as they were commanded.

The looks of shock and fear began to turn to those of amazement, Nora had begun to step closer, only for Ren to hold onto her, giving her a look that told her to wait, while Weiss was casting a calculating and curious gaze between the Grimm and Jaune, before she noticed Jaune's tremble, and her gaze turned to one of concern.

Yang had seen the same tremble, and the same look had come to her as well.

Pyrrha had stepped past Jaune as he commanded the Grim to lay down, her eyes sparkling with amazement, and her expression turning joyous, proud, and she couldn't help the tone of shocked joy that came to her as she spoke, "Jaune, I can't believe it." she turned to look at him, "How did yo-" her question died on her lips as she flinched at the look on Jaune's face.

For unlike her own, there was no joy, no shock, no amazement to adorn his visage. His expression conveyed only a single emotion…

It was _horror_.

No, horror was not enough to describe the sheer depth of the terror Jaune felt overtake his nerves, for it was an abyss, deeper than any ocean.

' _No, p-please no…it can't be real, it can't be!'_ he screamed internally as his body trembled, his breathing hitched, why was everything so hot?!

He heard his mother's voice, as his skin became clammy from sweat, as his vision blurred his knees buckling underneath his weight.

' _The Grimm are of The Darkness, Jaune, do you understand?'_

He felt tears begin to fall from his eyes and stream down his cheeks, why could he control the Grimm?!

It was just a _myth_ , why were the Grimm looking at him with those eyes?!

Why those yellow eyes?!

W-why…why couldn't he breathe?!

"Jaune?!" Pyrrha grabbed Jaune's shoulders, gripping onto him tightly, his eyes were dilated as his muscles were spasming out of control, even with her strength she was barely managing to hold him in place, she couldn't feel his breath, "Jaune please you have to-"

"Move!" she was suddenly thrown off of Jaune by Yang, who stood in front of him, and got down on her knees.

Pyrrha was about to return to Jaune's side, "No, stay where you are Pyrrha." she turned her gaze to Weiss, who was stepping past her as she looked at her, "He is having a panic attack, just stay back and let us handle this." she looked at Yang, who gave her a nod, as Weiss kneeled beside Jaune, and grabbed onto his hands, holding them down as Yang pressed her forehead against Jaune's, while she brought her hands up to his cheeks, as Weiss slowly, methodically, began to squeeze his hands.

Pyrrha was about to run to Jaune's side, only for Ruby to appear in front of her, her arms outstretched, a stern look on her face.

All the while, the Grimm were staring at Jaune's position, as their yellow eyes glowed even brighter in the darkness.

Yang was looking into Jaune's eyes, whispering softly, "Shhh, shhh, just breathe with me, can you do that for me Jaune?"

Jaune barely responded, as he slowly began to register that Yang, not the Grimm, were in front of him.

He felt the soft delicate grip around his hands, how it slowly released before tightening again, providing an odd sense of continuity with the methodical process.

He took in a breath, coughing as he felt his airways constrict in response.

Yang did not look away, and she took in a slow breath, waiting for Jaune to match his breathing with hers.

Jaune tried to take in the breath again, succeeding in inhaling the oxygen his body so desperately craved.

Yang drummed her fingers softly against his cheeks, "Good, you're doing good Jaune, now let it out." the softness of her words gave him comfort as he let the air leave his lungs.

Weiss had not stopped the methodical squeezing of Jaune's hands, and she began to hum softly, moving herself closer to Jaune, allowing him to hear the soft hum of her voice.

His body began to cease its muscle spasms, as he began to relax in the grip of the blonde and white duo.

Yang smiled as she felt his pulse begin to slow, and she whispered, "You're doing great Jaune, just focus on breathing, can you keep doing that?"

Jaune did not nod in response, he didn't need to, he continued to breathe in and out, in and out, and he felt his body suddenly become much colder, but it was comfortable, not like the unbearable hot flash he had endured before.

It felt, nice.

He relaxed in their grip after several minutes of the same methodical process, as Yang pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him, as Weiss slowly released the grip she had on his hands, but kept them on his wrists, just firm enough to show she was still there.

Pyrrha could only watch, as she saw her partner in such a state, and she cursed herself for her inability to help him, and having to rely on others to help her partner, but yet, another part of her was thankful that Yang and Weiss had been there, if they hadn't then, she would have had no idea what to do.

"He'll be fine."

Pyrrha turned to look at Ruby, who had stood by her side to make sure she hadn't gone running to Jaune's side, "How do you know?"

Ruby smiled, but it was not a happy smile, but rather one of melancholy, "Where do you think she learned to do that?"

Pyrrha was silent as she looked back at Yang and Weiss, as Jaune's eyes began to close as he was held in Yang's grip.

She wondered briefly how many times Ruby had been in such a state for Yang to have gotten so good at this.

* * *

The professors gawked at the screens of their scrolls, not believing what they had just seen, even as it occurred right in front of them.

There was no way what they had just saw was real.

Oobleck had thrown his thermos aside, only to run back over to it and chug down half of the thermos' contents when he had finally come to the conclusion that what he had seen was in fact, real.

Port was unable to stand, his legs shaking from the absolute shock of what he had just seen, and he found himself sitting cross legged on the grass, his scroll lying before him, as he looked at the screen in a mix of confusion and concern.

Glynda had followed Ports example, only she had held the scroll closer to her face as she looked at every angle the surrounding cameras could give her to explain whatever it was she and her coworkers had just seen.

Ozpin was the only one to have kept his composure, or so it seemed, he stood still, staring at the screen of his scroll, his mouth agape, as his mind tried and failed to process what he had just seen, "That…can't be possible." he muttered to himself as he looked at the initiate who had done what nobody had ever been able to do before.

He had commanded the Grimm.

"It can't be possible. It just…can't be."

* * *

 **An:** Holy shit, that was a LOT longer than we intended it to be, we intended it to be much shorter than this, but we just kept writing and writing until yous ee what you are currently reading. Damn.

We hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully the humor wasn't too hit or miss.

 **Important!:** The Scene where Jaune is having a panic attack and the parts where Weiss and Yang are calming him down, that information was acquired through a website on how to help people with Panic attacks, with that said, I acquired that information via a website, and just because I found it on a seemingly legitimate medical website, does not make it true, under no circumstances should you take the scene in question as advice on how to help somebody having a panic attack, consult a doctor, physician, or whatever medical expert specializes in the fields of panic attacks. I cannot stress this enough.

Now, to answer questions

1\. Why didn't Ozpin shut down initiation when the Grimm started acting weird?: Just because the Grimm are acting weird doesn't mean Ozpin will shut down the initiation. Like he said, the job of being a Huntsman and Huntress, is one that is full of risks. They cannot coddle them, but he was ready to intervene if anything got out of control, he did however order the students and staff to ready themselves.

2\. Why did the Initiates follow the Grimm instead of going to the Northern Temple?: Like Ren said, the Grimm were not fighting anybody, they couldn't show off their combat prowess, in addition, they were curious about what was going on, and they are teenagers. They will make decisions that otherwise would seem insane to everyone else, even if the reason for those decisions is understandable.

3\. Why was Jaune messing with his Aura by swinging his sword at his arm?: Lack of knowledge, which will be shown further in the next chapter.

4\. Why is the Religion outside the Kingdoms structured the way it is?: The religion outside the kingdoms is structured the way it is because of the environment they have been forced to live in. They do not have high walls protecting them, they do not have as many of the modern amenities as the Kingdoms, their religion is based around the world around them, nature, but it still ties in to the culture of the people outside the kingdoms. Like Jaune said, what tactics you would use in a Marsh, are not the same as you would use in a Desert.

5\. Weiss noticing Pyrrha's gunshot?: Nora summed it up, 'fangirl'.

6\. Why was Pyrrha unable to help Jaune with his panic attack, like she helped him after she woke him from his nightmare?: Okay, let me be clear about this, calming down somebody who is scared from a Nightmare, and calming down somebody who is having a panic attack are two COMPLETELY different things. Pyrrha may have been able to help him with his nightmare, but the panic attack, that was not something she could handle, Yang and Weiss knew it, and so they got her out of the way so they could help Jaune.

 **Recommendations:** Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Path of the Hero-The White Wulf

-Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-The Heat-wildstraydog

-The Warmth of Winter-RareNyte

-Squire-Dakaath

-Arc-Angel-KtyouVsWriting

-Legacy-Greatcow

-RWBY: The Grimm Warrior-CaptainPrice

-Blake's Mistake-wildstraydog

-RWBY: Destiny of Remnant-ultraguy7x

-How I Made You Meet Mom-PhantomGalaxy13

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

I surely will recall more stories that I feel deserve more recognition for the work their authors put in them, but for now, please check out these stories, they are a fantastic read, and deserve more attention than they are getting.

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	3. Provenance Unveiled

**Disclaimer** -Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchblade, or Artifacts in any way, shape, or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and is the creation of Monty Oum...The Darkness, Witchblade, and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice** **:** This story, along with just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon. We will extract elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy rewrite of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts, or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Now, without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

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Several minutes had passed since Jaune's initial panic attack, perhaps longer, none of the hunters in training could tell, not when they were so focused on the image before them, as they saw the blonde haired swordsman descend from commanding the Grimm, to a violent panic attack, right up until Yang and Weiss had calmed him down, for all they knew an hour could have passed and they wouldn't have noticed. His head rested on Yang's shoulder, his forehead pressed against her collarbone, as his eyes closed, the exhaustion of the day, coupled with the panic attack had drained him.

Yang still held onto him, her hands pressed against his shoulder, as she felt his pulse slow down, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt it return to a rate that could be called normal.

Weiss felt the same as her hands were still clutching his, and after confirming that he was no longer in immediate danger, she turned her gaze towards the others, and waved her hand, gesturing to them that it was okay to come closer.

Pyrrha responded to Weiss' signal by bolting past Ruby towards her partner, and skidding to a halt by his side as she kneeled on the grass, her eyes darting over his form to make sure he was unharmed.

Her eyes flashed with concern as she regarded his current state as she saw how drained he was.

She reached towards him, and lightly placed a hand upon his shoulder.

The other hunters in training witnessing this event, slowly treaded forward, their stride showing trepidation and earnest at once, until they found themselves standing around the swordsman and the three huntresses in training who kneeled beside him.

Ren's gaze broke from the kneeling figures, and turned to regard the mass of Grimm surrounding their position, who still lay silent where Jaune had commanded them to do so just minutes prior, "We shouldn't linger here too long."

His words broke the gaze of all present, as their turned to regard him with a questioning look, "But, Jaune just-"

Ren looked to Pyrrha, who had spoken up, "We don't know what his limitations for…commanding…" he said with a questioning tone as he looked at the Grimm, "…the Grimm are, for all we know, they may break out of their trance after a certain amount of time, or they could stay like this indefinitely." he looked back at Pyrrha and the others, "But until we know, we should find a more defensible position and make camp." he looked around, before fixing his gaze on a direction, "I think I saw a plateau due northwest of here, it shouldn't take us too long to get there on foot."

Pyrrha bit her lip and looked back at Jaune, who was sound asleep on Yang's shoulder. Ren had a point, even if Jaune had ordered the Grimm to stay where they were, they did not know the extent of that control, it was clear that Jaune had no idea he could even do that, finding a more defensible location was a sound strategy.

Yang had removed her arms from around Jaune, and gently lifted him, and began to carry him, "Well, let's not waste time then." she shrugged as she gave them all a smirk, "Besides, this place was looking kinda _Grimm_ anyways."

Ruby groaned at the pun as Nora pulled her into a hug, giving a deadpan glare to Yang who pretended not to notice, and pretended that the chill that went up her spine was from a passing breeze, yeah, that's what it was.

As the group of initiates began to move through the forest, Ruby took up the lead, her scythe at the ready, while Ren and Nora each took up a side, while Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss were focused in the middle, Blake took up the rear, and continued to look behind them to make sure there were no Grimm pursuing them.

They had only made it a few meters before they entered the tree-line, and the shimmering yellow glow of the Grimm eyes began to fade into the darkness.

Ren broke the silence several times to direct Ruby which way the plateau was supposed to be, beyond that however, the trip was done in silence.

Pyrrha had moved closer to Yang to inspect her partner, who was still sound asleep, having stirred only for a few scarce moments at a time before returning to the void of unconsciousness.

Finally, after several kilometers of walking, which took close to an hour, they found themselves at the base of the very plateau that Ren had seen before, which fortunately had a small path leading up to the top, which looked man-made, if the smooth ornate grooves were anything to go by.

Ren began to examine the path, saw the smoothness of the path, as well as debris from what appeared to have once been small structures, likely part of what used to be much larger formations, which now had long since turned to dust, however, the path seemed to have stood the test of time, but only ascending the plateau would determine how well this manmade thing had endured.

They began to follow the path, being forced to go in a single file line, with Yang at the center, with Pyrrha at the front, and Weiss following her from behind, Ruby and Blake took up the front and rear of the column respectively.

Finally, they found themselves at the top of the plateau, which was adorned with the rubble of long fallen ruins. Whether it was to a temple or a manor, or perhaps the remnants of an old city, was unknown, as the broken remains now served only to become the foundation of the roots and growth that encased their ancient carved surfaces.

Yang had quickly made a beeline for a meager pile of columns, wrapped with moss and the roots of a great tree which rose from the rubble, parting the stone in the wake of its growth, forming a natural shelter with the old civilizations creation as its foundation. She gently laid Jaune against the base of the tree, as the others followed her, Pyrrha quickly kneeling by Jaune's side as Yang stood up.

Weiss leaned down and pressed her middle and index finger against his neck, searching for his pulse, "He seems fine for now, we'll know more when he wakes up."

Pyrrha glanced up at Weiss, "Should we try and wake him up?"

Weiss shook her head in response, "I would not advise it, if we force him awake, we could trigger another panic attack, which may, or may not be worse than the one he just recovered from. For now, we need to let him rest; he should wake up on his own soon."

Pyrrha's gaze shifted from Weiss, to her unconscious partner, and for a brief moment, the image of him thrashing, unable to breathe, unable to control his own motor functions, played across her vision.

She cringed in response, which did not go unnoticed by the others, who kept their gaze fixed on the two, as they watched Pyrrha move closer to Jaune and place a hand on his shoulder, tenderly gripping onto it, whether for her own comfort or for his, none of them knew.

It seemed doubtful even Pyrrha knew why she did that.

A minute had passed before Pyrrha broke her gaze from Jaune, and looked back at the others, "What do we do now?" she asked quietly, her eyes drifting to glance at Jaune as she felt him stir, only to return to a motionless sleep.

"We should set up camp." Ren broke the silence, "Nora and I will go get materials, and somebody needs to keep watch, we don't know if the Grimm have begun to stir or not, it would be best if we were aware of any incoming threats."

"I'll keep watch." the remaining initiates turned to Blake, who was already beginning to move towards a more advantageous position.

Ruby began to follow after her, "I'll give you a hand-"

"No, the four of you should watch Jaune."

Her statement confused the three of them, "Why the four of us, surely Pyrrha can-" Ruby was cut off as Blake snapped towards them, her eyes holding a gleam that silenced the red caped huntress, as she began to march back towards the group

Blake stopped in front of Ruby and pointed at Jaune, "If he wakes up and has another panic attack, you will need to keep Pyrrha back while Yang and Weiss deal with his panic attack, it may seem overkill, but considering that we all just saw him _command Grimm_ …" she said with an edge to her voice, "…I don't think any of us want to take the chance of what another panic attack might do, not until we figure out just what he did, and how he did it."

The silence between the hunter initiates was deafening, as all but Pyrrha cast a thoughtful glance towards Jaune, who Pyrrha had moved closer to during Blake's monologue, and her gaze had become steel as she glanced back at Blake.

Blake did not miss the look, a sigh escaping her lips, "I don't want to cast a negative image across him, but we have no idea what we are dealing with here, and until we do know, we cannot take chances." she stared into Pyrrha's eyes, and spoke softly, "I don't like it either, but for now, we need to play it safe."

Pyrrha turned from Blake and looked at Jaune, her hand tenderly gripping his shoulder as she did so.

The silence was broken as Blake turned away and headed to the cliff edge to keep watch, while Ren and Nora, the latter of whom dragged the former while talking about how cool they would make the campsite, while Weiss, Yang, and Ruby stayed behind.

There was an awkward silence as the three huntress in training glanced to Jaune and Pyrrha, Blake's words playing in their mind on repeat, and questions began to form and tickle at the tips of their tongue.

Weiss was the one who broke the silence, "She has a point."

The blonde brawler gave a curious gaze towards Weiss, "What do you mean?"

Weiss glanced over towards Jaune, "He was able to make the Grimm do what he said, and we don't even know how he did it." she looked over at him, not noticing how Pyrrha had tensed up, "It wouldn't be unreasonable to be careful and-"

"Uhm, Weiss." Yang cut off the heiress monologue, "Now is really not the best time." she tilted her head to Pyrrha.

The heiress, who before had only been glancing in Pyrrha's direction, now gave the red haired champion her full attention.

Pyrrha had moved closer to Jaune, her arm protectively covering his chest, as she looked at Weiss with an expression that spoke volumes of her feelings on the matter, she did not want to hear any more of this, not now.

Taking the hint, she put up her arms in surrender, "Okay, I get the point Yang."

The blonde haired brawler could only grin as she patted the white haired heiress on the head, "How _Weiss_ of you, princess."

"Guuuuuuuh." Ruby groaned as she fell to her knees in exasperation, while Weiss' pale complexion became red with fury as she reached for Yang to strangle her, only for the blonde to press the palm of her hand against Weiss' forehead, and keep her away as she flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to reach the blonde.

"We're baaaaack!" the four huntress' twisted their gaze to the origin of whoever had spoken, and their eyes widened at the scene before them.

Nora was carrying what appeared to be half of what used to be a tree, if the roots sticking out of one end was anything to go by, while Ren was following up behind, carrying a much meager stack of lumber, as he nervously looked at Nora, narrowly avoiding the swinging 'tree' as she skipped towards them.

"Nora, was it really necessary to tear a tree from the ground for lumber?"

Nora glanced at him with a quivering lip, "But Reeeeen, I wanted to make a nice camp for us, with chairs and tables and everything!" she whimpered with glistening tears on the edge of her eyes.

Ren flinched as he turned away, his lips curling into a defiant frown, only for his eyes to glance back at Nora, whose lower lip was quivering, eliciting an exhausted sigh from him, "Alright fine, just don't do anything reckless." Nora's response was to giggle and poke his nose, whispering 'boop' as she skipped to the meager campsite, and set down the large tree.

They watched in rapt attention as Nora hummed to herself as she began to pry the tree in half with her raw strength, and somehow did not send a hail of splinters everywhere, as she began to make furnishings for their campsite.

Ren in the meantime began setting up a fire pit, digging a small hole in the ground as he began to lay bits of rubble around the pit, before he began to try and light the small pile of kindling he had pushed together.

"Oooh, ooh let me do it!" the orange haired hammer wielder bolted to his side, carrying her Warhammer, Magnihild in its Grenade launcher form.

Everyone's eyes widened as she did so, and they were about to stop her, when Ren held up a hand with a smile on his face, while Nora opened up her weapons cartridge, and pulled out one of the shells.

They watched in rapt attention as Nora hummed softly as she opened up the cartridge, and poured a small amount of the dust inside the cartridge onto the kindling, and stepped back as the dust began to spark, before it burst into a plume of fire, which had the odd coloration of pink tinging its flames.

The hunter initiates stared in amazement, before turning to Nora quizzically, and Nora smirked, "I know what you're thinking, 'How can that amazing queen know the right amount of dust to start a fire and not make it create a massive fiery explosion', well, the answer is-"

"She was top of her class in dust mechanics and applications at Bethel Academy." Ren interjected, a small smirk on his features as he poked the fire with a stick, which still had a lingering pink tone to its flames.

Nora pouted at Ren, "Oh come on Ren, I had this grand epic story and everything." she pouted, crossing her arms as Ren chuckled as Nora turned her head with the same pout still on her features.

The green themed huntsman statement gained the attention of Weiss, "Top of her class, at Bethel academy?" an incredulous look passed over her features as she looked at Nora and Ren, "You have to be kidding me."

Nora looked at Weiss and sighed, rolling her eyes, "Oh come on, just because I don't have a stiff upper lip and a..." she clicked her heels and gave a mock salute, "…strict background, doesn't mean I am not a good student, I got into Beacon didn't I?"

"After you rejected an application from Haven academy, signed and sealed by the headmistress herself."

This statement caused the others to gasp and look at Nora, who had a blush on her features, and wide eyes, "Ren!" she yelled, and stared at him, who was still chuckling at her embarrassment.

"Y-you rejected an application from Haven's headmistress?" the red haired huntress stared at Nora in shock, turning her gaze from Jaune for a moment, "Impressing her is no small feat."

Nora seemed to shrink on herself at the praise, and nervously laughed as she began to fidget where she stood, "I-it wasn't that impressive."

"You broke several records in dust th-OW!" Ren was silenced as Nora poked him in the temple, muttering a 'boop' as she grinned, although it was obviously rather forced.

The silence perpetuated, until the sound of several rumbling bellies broke the silence of the clearing, including one coming from the slumbering Jaune, who groaned in his torpor.

The faces of all those present and conscious became flushed, "I'll get s-started on making food." the red hooded girl began to fish through her pack, and began to pull out rations.

"Oh come on Ruby, really?" she stared at the rations, several of which included cookies and strawberry flavored pastries.

The red themed huntress stared at her sister, "I'm not making you eat them."

The sound of grumbling bellies echoed throughout the clearing in response, forcing the blonde brawler to become silent as she sat down next to the fire, while Ruby began preparing their food, with a smug grin on her face.

A blur of pink shot across the campsite as Ren began to put the makeshift furniture Nora had created around the site, while Nora hovered over Ruby's shoulder, "Do you happen to have strawberry pancakes?"

Ruby tilted her head, "Uhm, no, but I have strawberry danishes." she cringed at the pout on Nora's face, "Sorry?"

Nora fell to her knees and pouted, sniffling, "But I want pancakes." she uttered with a whining tone, as the others stared at her, looks of perplexed wonder shaping their expressions.

"You're sure she was top of her dust studies class at Bethel?" Weiss looked at Ren, who was putting down a 'chair' before snapping his gaze towards Weiss, his pink eyes becoming very cold as he looked at her.

"Yes, Weiss, I am absolutely certain she was top of her class in dust mechanics and applications." he said with a noticeable edge to his voice, clearly this had come up often enough that he had gotten tired of answering the question.

Weiss crossed her arms and frowned at him, "I was only asking-"

"Uhm, Weiss, remember earlier with Pyrrha?" Weiss looked to Yang as she was now pointing at Ren, who was giving Weiss a piercing stare, as he set down the last 'chair' Nora had made, before he turned away and sat down on his own seat, making it a point not to look at her.

Clenching her fists, as she could feel a blood vessel throbbing on her forehead, she calmly took a deep breath and looked away, her eyes glancing back at Ren periodically.

Pyrrha had watched the exchange silently as she sat next to her partner, sighing softly as she shook her head in displeasure-

"Grrrrn."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she snapped her gaze to look at Jaune, whose eyes began to flutter open, as he began to move.

"He's awake." she uttered quietly, just enough for everyone to hear. Weiss and Yang quickly began to move to Jaune's side as he stirred, both of them looking him over for any sign of an impending panic attack, while Ruby stood at the ready to grab Pyrrha and pull her back.

Jaune's fluttering eyes blinked slowly, as his blurred vision took in his surroundings, and he began to take in the forms kneeling in front of him.

He looked between them, took in their features, and he began to stand, only for Yang to grab his shoulder, "Whoa there lady killer, take it easy, you should take a minute to get your bearings first, kay?" she said with a tilt of her head, and a tone that basically told him, 'You will stay seated'.

Jaune only nodded in response, as he felt a throbbing pain shoot through his head, he reached up for his head, and grunted in pain.

Weiss moved in closer, looking him over, "Jaune, what are you feeling right now?"

Jaune grit his teeth, "A h-headache, really hurts."

Weiss bit her lip, before swiftly taking control of the situation, "Okay, Jaune, right now, I need you to take a few moments to breathe, slow and deep breaths."

Jaune looked up at her, his eyes showing his confusion, "But wh-"

"Jaune, we will explain later, but for the moment, just breathe."

Jaune looked at Yang in confusion, but did as he was asked, while Pyrrha was pulled away by Ruby, as Yang and Weiss got to work on helping Jaune.

Ren and Nora simply watched from the sidelines, while Ruby held onto Pyrrha to make sure she stayed where she was.

Several minutes passed, and Jaune had done as told, kept breathing in and out, while Yang and Weiss gave him additional directions, having him slowly stand up, and begin to move his limbs one at a time, focusing only on breathing and moving that limb.

Finally, Weiss waved to Ruby to let Pyrrha go, and Pyrrha shot to her partners side, and looked him over.

Yang nodded towards Pyrrha, "He's fine, for now anyways, just needed to make sure there weren't any after effects."

Pyrrha looked at Yang, a smile coming to her features, "Thank you, thank you both so much." she smiled at Weiss, who smiled back in response.

Yang only grinned, "Ah no need to thank us Pyr, consider it payment for this guy here giving me his locker mirror." she said sending a cheeky grin at Jaune, who only nervously chuckled in response.

"It was just a mirror." the blonde swordsman quietly protested.

Yang grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it as she pulled him into a friendly headlock, "And now I can have two beautiful faces looking at me when I open my locker." ruffling his hair she let him go, and he gave her a look of indignation, before cracking a smile and laughing, which Yang quickly joined in on.

Pyrrha watched the exchange silently, as she looked Jaune over, while Ruby stood to her side, her silver eyes staring at Yang questioningly.

"Uhm, Ruby, the food."

Ren's voice broke the stare of the red themed scythe wielder, and a loud gasp escaped her lips, "My cookies!" she bolted towards the fire, a trail of rose petals falling behind her as she tried to save the rations.

Jaune stepped towards the fire, with Pyrrha and Yang in tow, Yang giving Pyrrha a silent look, which caught the redheads attention, and the two stepped off to the side as Yang guided them, Weiss swiftly joined the two of them, casting her own look of concern towards Jaune, while the blonde stood behind Ruby, who was looking down at the rations.

Ruby had pulled the rations from the fire, and frowned as she looked at them. Half the cookies were burned, while the other half were crisp.

A despondent sigh fluttered from her lips, they could not afford to waste the food out here, but if she were to hand out the cookies she would have to evenly distribute them amongst everybody, and nobody liked burned cookies, a small part of her wanted to keep the crisp ones while the others had the burned ones, but she wasn't _that_ selfish.

Jaune saw the sad look on her face, and frowned, until suddenly, his eyes lit up, and a smile came to his features, "Uhm, can I have the burned ones?"

Ruby blinked as she heard Jaune's voice beside her, and she looked up at him, his smiling expression looking down at her, "W-what?"

"Can I have the burned ones?" he chuckled nervously, as he scratched the back of his neck, "It may seem weird, but, I actually like burnt cookies."

Ruby blinked at him, "But, what about the others?" she had to distribute the rations evenly, and there was still the matter of the other rations, it wouldn't be fair if Jaune had all the burnt cookies, and his share of the rations.

Jaune seemed to notice this as he waved it off, "The others can have my share of the other rations."

Ruby stared at Jaune quizzically, her left eyebrow rising questioningly, "Are you sure?" she looked at the cookies, they were badly burnt, she had no idea how anybody could possibly eat them.

Seeing her stare, Jaune grabbed one of the burnt cookies, and popped it into his mouth, and began to chew, grinning the whole time.

Ruby blinked in confusion, before sighing, a giggle escaping her lips, "Ok, ok, thanks Jaune." she eyed the more crisp cookies with a look of desire, a small bit of drool coming from her mouth.

Jaune couldn't hide the smirk on his lips if he tried, especially not from Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss, who had been casting glances at him during their discussion.

Pyrrha broke her stare from her partner, and looked at Yang, "If what you're saying is true then-"

"Pyrrha, I had to deal with Ruby having panic attacks for years, I know the signs, whatever he saw in those Grimm, it set him off." her lilac eyes glanced towards Jaune, and a soft frown made its way onto her lips, "We need to find out exactly what it was that set him off Pyrrha."

"Is this really necessary though?"

"Pyrrha, this won't be the last panic attack he has, he will have others, and we cannot help him get past them unless we know what it is that is setting him off." Weiss cut in, her gaze sharp as she idly pointed at Jaune, "If we want to know what set him off, we need to get more information, I know you aren't comfortable asking but the alternative is letting him deal with progressively worsening panic attacks, people can die from those Pyrrha, Huntsman and Huntresses included."

She flinched at Weiss' tone, and her gaze drifted back to Jaune, who was helping Ruby portion the rations, piling the seemingly burnt cookies onto a single plate, "But what if we set off another attack just by asking him?"

Yang's gaze drifted to Jaune, "We'll play it safe to start off, beat around the bush a bit, make him more comfortable, but if we don't find out what caused the attack, then we are risking him having another one and Weiss and I won't be there to calm him down all the time."

Her gaze snapped towards Yang, "Then show me how to do it, he is my partner I should know how to-"

"Pyrrha, tell me, do you want him to live his whole life with this over his head, or do you want to help him recover?" Weiss asked sharply, her gaze staring into Pyrrha's as she waited for a response.

Pyrrha was silent at Weiss' question, and she lowered her head.

She felt a firm hand on her shoulder, and she glanced to see Yang looking at her with an expression she could only describe as comforting, "We'll still show you how to help him with his panic attacks, but he still needs help recovering, okay Pyrrha?"

The redhead was silent for but a moment, until she nodded her head, "Yeah, okay Yang." her gaze shifted to Weiss, "What do we need to do?"

Weiss glanced over to the campsite, and saw that Blake had returned, and was currently talking to Ruby, while Jaune began to pass the plates around, the remaining three plates being placed on the makeshift 'chairs' which were essentially tree stumps that had been placed on the ground, "You said he was uncomfortable talking about why his aura wasn't unlocked, no doubt that had something to do with his family, let's try there first."

Yang looked at Weiss with a questioning gaze, "You sure that is the best idea, princess?"

It was Weiss' turn to look at Yang with a questioning gaze, "You have a better suggestion, brute?"

The silence was all the answer she needed.

"Weiss, Yang, Pyrrha, the foods ready, come get it before its cold."

The three huntresses turned to Ruby, who was waving at them, a plate of cookies and strawberry pasties in her hand.

"Coming Rubes." Yang called out as she began to walk over, Weiss and Pyrrha falling in behind.

The makeshift chairs were circled around the fire, along with a stump that apparently was supposed to be a table, which had the rest of the rations placed on it.

Jaune had already taken his seat, and Pyrrha was quick to take up a seat next to him, which was also next to Ren, who was seated next to Nora, while Weiss took up the seat to Jaune's other side, which coincidentally was also next to Ruby. Yang sat on Ruby's other side, which was also next to Blake, who was slowly nibbling on the cookies with a closed eyes expression.

Yang could have sworn she had heard a pleased purr from her partner.

The eight of them were silent as they ate their meal, with Yang occasionally pulling Ruby over to wipe crumbs off her face, licking her thumb and wiping off the crumbs, eliciting an embarrassed whine from Ruby.

Several minutes had passed, and several trips to the ration table later, and all eight had their fill for the evening, and they all stared at the fire, while casting curious glances at Jaune, who was starting to become nervous with the silent stares.

' _Cough'_ the blonde swordsman broke the silence, "So, what happened after I…you know." his fingers clenched into a fist before he released it, his gaze nervously passing over the others.

They were silent, unsure what to say to the blonde, and it seemed as though it would remain that way.

"Weeeeell…" they all turned towards Nora, who had spoken up, "…after you told those mean old Grimm to lay down, you had a bit of a freakout!" she yelled as she stood up, waving her arms around, "And then Yang and Weiss swooped in like 'wooosh'…" she swung her arms, barely missing Ren, who had dodged out of the way, "…and then they were all like, 'breathe, you gotta breathe'…" she began making breathing noises in response, "…and then you were all tuckered out, so Yang carried you to this awesome plateau where we made camp, I made some furnishings, and Ruby made food, and then BAM!" she yelled, her eyes shimmering, "You were awake, and then-" she suddenly paused and looked at him, "How _did_ you get the Grimm to do that?"

If Nora had noticed the looks Pyrrha, Yang, and Weiss were giving her, she would have felt awkward, but the orange haired grenadier was focused on Jaune, who looked down as Nora's question played out in his head.

"I…I don't know." he said quietly.

Nora tilted her head, "Really?" she hummed to herself, "Is it because you have some super-secret past where you were in a hidden Atlas lab who was focused on controlling Grimm?" she gasped, "Or maybe its magic, like in those fairy tales where monsters bowed to the righteous warrior!" she gasped louder, and stared at him, "Is that it? Are you a military experiment, a magic hero of legend, are you of the Grimm Sire-" Nora's speech suddenly stopped, a gasp reaching her lips, before she clamped her hands over her mouth, her once bright and curious eyes, widening in horror, "O-oh my gods, I-I didn't mean-"

"Nora!"

Jaune's gaze snapped towards Ren, and he instinctively flinched back at the look of absolute fury that twisted his expression.

Jaune's peripheral vision caught the looks that the others were sending Nora's way, incredulous looks of shock and abhorrence, their expressions conveying a level of shock, as if they could not believe what Nora had just said.

Nora was stammering as Ren was glaring at her, "R-Ren I-"

"Nora, that was uncalled for, apologize, now!" Ren roared at her, his eyes smoldering with fury as he pointed at Jaune, whose expression conveyed confusion, bewilderment, and befuddlement.

Nora looked at Jaune, her eyes brimming with tears as she stammered out, "I-I am so sorry, I swear to all the gods I did not m-mean it, p-please, _please_ forgive me." she sputtered out, looking ashamed at what she had done.

Ren's expression of fury had softened, his features showing conflict, his arms outstretched towards Nora, before he pulled them back, and clenched his fist, biting his lower lip.

The expressions of the others however had turned to glares, which Nora had noticed, as she looked down in shame.

Jaune looked around at them, his confusion growing, what had Nora done so wrong?

"Uhm, who is the Grimm Sire?"

The silence that overtook the campsite was truly deafening, as the once glaring hunter initiates, the whimpering Nora, and conflicted Ren all turned towards Jaune, their expressions of shock, bewilderment, and astonishment only served to confuse Jaune further.

Jaune became very uncomfortable, "What did I-"

"How do you _not_ know who the Grimm Sire is?" Weiss screeched as she shot up from her seat, her eyes wide, her pupils dilated, as she looked at Jaune as if he had just sprouted wings.

The expressions on the other initiates conveyed similar levels of shock, all but Pyrrha, who looked at Jaune with an expression of curiosity.

"Did you never hear about the Grimm Sire beyond the kingdoms?"

Pyrrha's question caused looks of realization to overtake the expressions of shock on the group, looks of understanding flashed across their features, and they too turned to him with curious expressions.

Jaune looked between them, "Well, no, honestly I haven't ever heard of this, 'Grimm Sire' until now, what is it? And why is it so bad that Nora asked me if I was 'of the Grimm Sire'?" he looked between them, waiting for somebody to speak up.

The expressions of curiosity on their faces became uncomfortable, thoughtful, as if they were trying to find the words to express what thoughts were fluttering about in their psyche, and yet the words themselves made them feel uneasy, as if speaking them was taboo.

A sigh caught Jaune's attention, and he turned to look at the only other male amongst their party as he looked at Jaune, "To answer your second question, you have to know more than just what the Grimm Sire is, but…" Ren turned silent as he ran his hand through his hair, "As to what the Grimm Sire is…no, was…" he corrected himself, which caused Jaune to look at him more quizzically, "…the Grimm Sire is exactly what it sounds like, it was the sire and forebearer of all Grimm." his gaze became fixed on Jaune as he continued, "It created the first Grimm, and became the foundation for the Grimm becoming the menace that they are to this day, but…" Ren looked away from Jaune, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "…there is more to it than just that."

Jaune raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Well, we are gonna be here a while, and I would like to know more about the religion of the Kingdoms, why not pass the time with a lesson?" he shrugged his shoulders with a smirk, which quickly died when Ren's gaze turned back to him.

Ren was silent for a whole minute as he looked at Jaune, until his gaze shifted, relenting, as Nora scooted closer to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Ren and Nora shared a look, before Ren looked back at Jaune, "Okay, first off, what do you know about the religion of the four kingdoms?" he asked, looking at Jaune silently.

Jaune brought his hand to his chin, an expression of rumination upon his features, "I can't say I know much, the only thing I really know is that there are nine gods, and the only one I know anything about is the God of Protection." his pondering ceased as he looked back at Ren.

Sighing, the green themed huntsman met Jaune's gaze, as the others watched silently, "Long ago, before the Grimm, before Huntsman and Huntresses, before the very idea of the kingdoms came to be, two of the Gods who formed the world and those upon it, found themselves falling for the other. These gods had, over time, grown closer, until they both accepted their feelings and the feelings the other held for them and consummated their love upon the very world they had shaped."

"I thought that they had fallen under the spell of one of the other gods?" Weiss spoke up, and tilted her head in confusion, "That's what I was taught anyways."

Ren glanced at Weiss, and then back at Jaune, who looked befuddled, "Each of the Kingdoms and older families have variations of the story, in Atlas they say that one of the Gods wrongfully seduced the other, and in Vacuo, some of the older families say the gods did not love the other but rather were fueled by lust."

Jaune nodded his head in understanding, coughing as he began to drum his fingers against his thigh, "So, what happened after they…consummated their union?"

"Well…" Ren uttered, as he glanced at Jaune, "…after they consummated their union, they discovered that one of them was now with child."

"Which one?" Jaune asked, his expression conveying his curiosity on the manner.

"The stories differ depending on text and kingdom." the group of initiates turned to regard Yang, who had spoken up, "Some say it was one, some say it was the other, heck, some even say it was both of them." she shrugged, "The Gods are not bound by Gender since they existed before the physical realities we have today."

Ren nodded his head, "She is correct, but one thing that has remained constant in all the stories, is the identity of the Gods who formed this union." he looked back at Jaune, "The gods in question, were the God of Nature, and the God of Mankind, and from their union, came the first generation of Faunus."

Jaune's eyes widened slightly, yet his confused expression still remained, "Okay, that is interesting, but, what does it have to do with the Grimm Sire?"

"Everything, actually." Jaune turned his head to see who had spoken, and found himself staring into the amber eyes of Blake Belladonna.

This served only to confuse Jaune further, "What do you mean?"

"What she means, is that had these two Gods not fallen for the other and brought the Faunus into the world, the Grimm would not have existed." Ren cut it, as Jaune turned his attention back to him.

"Explain please, cause I am not seeing the connection yet."

Ren ran his fingers through his hair, which Jaune noticed seemed to be a sort of nervous habit, "The Grimm Sire had looked at one of the Gods from afar, always yearning for them, but never able to have them fall for it, whether it was the God of Mankind or the God of Nature the Grimm Sire desired, is also a matter that is debated between the Kingdoms and the old families, but either way, when the Grimm Sire saw the Faunus, the product of the union it saw occur from afar, it felt nothing but hatred towards them."

Jaune's confused expression turned to one of realization, "It created the Grimm to wipe out the Faunus?"

"Nope."

Jaune's gaze along with the others turned to Ruby, "What?"

"The Grimm Sire didn't create the Grimm to kill the Faunus, it created the Grimm to kill humans."

"Okay, okay what?" Jaune stood up from his 'chair' and looked at them, his confusion growing as he processed what they had told him, "Why did he want to kill humans if he hated the Faunus?"

"Tell me, Jaune, what do Grimm seek out?" Jaune looked to the one who had spoken, and the pale blue eyes of Weiss Schnee stared back at him.

Jaune blinked twice before answering, "They are attracted to negativity."

"You are correct…" the green huntsman spoke up, "…the Grimm Sire did not create the Grimm first, instead it instilled within mankind the first vestige of hatred for the Faunus, inspired them to hate the Faunus. From its actions, it initiated massacres against the Faunus while it forged its creation, the first generation of Grimm, and gave them a single purpose."

Jaune looked back at him in understanding, but, a glimmer of confusion still overtook his features, "What was their purpose?" he looked at Ren quizzically, as Nora spoke up, garnering his attention.

"Their purpose was to destroy the very ideas that the Grimm Sire had instilled within mankind, by wiping out all those with negativity staining their soul." Ren nodded at Nora's answer and turned to Jaune as he explained.

"It is written in old scriptures that before the Grimm, before the divide that the Grimm Sire had caused, the world was at peace. There was no war, there was no conflict, no hatred, no crimes against one another, it was a cohesive understanding amongst the people that came before the divide that they could not survive unless they worked together, and so they did." Ren bit his lower lip, "But, when the Grimm Sire created the divide, mankind turned on the Faunus, and then turned on itself, inspired by the hatred of differences between themselves and the Faunus, the hatred spread until they began to kill one another, and the Grimm continued to be a threat to all to this day because of it. They are fulfilling the purpose they were created to do, because mankind is divided." he looked at Jaune, "The Grimm Sire did more than create the Grimm, the Grimm Sire inspired all the pain, suffering, and turmoil that plagues mankind and Faunus to this day."

Jaune nodded in understanding, even as his mind swirled with questions, the implications presented to him with this revelation, it made sense, and yet didn't.

The Grimm Sire had created the Grimm, it had inspired the hatred so many people felt towards Faunus, and towards each other. He had seen racism occur in the kingdoms, and yet their religion told them that the first division was created by the Grimm Sire, the creator of the Grimm.

So why did the hatred persist?

"If this is true, then why is there still this…divide? Shouldn't they be trying to fix this issue?"

The other seven were completely silent, as if they did not know how to answer this question.

"It…" Jaune turned to look towards his partner, "…the Grimm Sire I mean. It wasn't always called the Grimm Sire."

Jaune gazed at Pyrrha, silent, until he broke it, "Then, what did it used to be called?"

Pyrrha looked up at him, it was clear what she was about to say was something unpleasant.

He could not have prepared for the words that left her lips.

"The God of Souls."

Jaune's eyes widened at this revelation, and he sat back in his 'chair' and blinked, processing what he had just heard.

"So, our souls, our aura, the very thing that makes us alive, it was-"

Ren cut him off, "The gift that was bestowed upon every living being in Remnant by the God of Souls, also known as the Grimm Sire, which is why the divide persists to this day." he began to run his fingers through his hair again, confirming that this was indeed a nervous twitch of his, "Many think that because of the nature of who had created the divide, and why the Grimm were initially created, that it was done as part of some 'great plan' to purify us, to this day that belief persists, which is why the divide is still there and why the Grimm are still a threat."

Jaune nodded his head, "Right, but…" he looked back at him in confusion, "…I still don't get why Nora asking me if I was 'of the Grimm Sire' was so bad."

Ren looked up at him, before glancing at Nora, who was now looking down ashamed, and Re sighed, "Jaune, the Grimm Sire created the divide and conflict in the world, it created the Grimm, every evil action on this world can be traced back to it. Saying somebody is 'of the Grimm Sire' or even asking it, is the worst insult anybody can be given in the four kingdoms."

Jaune glanced at Nora, who nodded her head, "Well, what if I am 'of it'?" he asked silently, turning towards Ren.

The look Ren gave him genuinely frightened him, and he felt a cold chill run up his spine, no doubt he would see similar looks if he turned around, "Jaune, that is not something you even want to _joke_ about, implying somebody is of the Grimm Sire is an insult because of what it means, it is basically saying that that person is born of evil incarnate and was created for the purpose of evil, and so much more than that." Ren's glare softened, as he realized how intensely he had been glaring at him, and he looked away from him.

Jaune was silent, and looked down at his hands as he processed what he had heard, by processing what it meant, and why they reacted the way they did.

His gaze shifted towards Ren and Nora, "Look, I understand why you would get upset by what Nora said, even if I am not personally offended by it." sighing, his gaze hardened as he looked at Ren, "With that said, you jumped down Nora's throat, she was trying to apologize before you began to shout at her."

Ren looked in shame, nodding his head, "I know…" he turned to look at the orange haired girl at his side, his gaze meeting hers, "…I am sorry Nora, I shouldn't have overreacted like that."

Nora's expression lightened as she patted Ren's shoulder, "Oh it's alright Renny, I shouldn't have said _that_ anyways." she chuckled lightheartedly, which brought a smile to Ren's face.

This scene was observed by the remaining five huntresses, as they watched Jaune with curious stares.

Pyrrha had begun to clench her fists nervously, as Weiss glanced at Yang, nodding at her, which caused a nervous expression to twist her features, which Weiss responded to with a frown and a piercing stare. Yang only sighed in resignation, as she spoke, "So, uhm, you grew up outside the Kingdoms?"

Jaune tore his gaze from Ren and Nora, and glanced at Yang, "Yep, born and raised." he said with a grin as he pointed at himself with his thumb.

"What was it like outside the Kingdoms?" Weiss cut in, even as Pyrrha glanced at them nervously.

Jaune had not noticed Pyrrha's nervous stare, "Well, hard to describe it really, I cannot say if it is better in the Kingdoms, only been here a little while, and I learned how to live outside the Kingdoms, so it's really all I have ever known." he picked up a stick and began to poke the fire, and then threw another log into the fire, "But I suppose the best word for living outside the kingdoms is, toilsome." he said silently, a frown coming to his features as he began to remember his village.

Yang and Weiss glanced at one another, as Pyrrha bit her lip nervously, "In what way?" the three huntresses glanced at Ruby, whose head was tilted as she nibbled on what was left of her cookies, while Blake just looked at him with a tilted eyebrow.

Jaune looked into the fire, and scratched the back of his head, "Well, outside the kingdoms we don't have access to a lot of materials that the kingdoms do since we have to spend a majority of our time fighting Grimm, harvesting, repairing what the Grimm have broken." his grip tightened around the stick in his hands, before he realized what he was doing and loosened his grip, "There really isn't a lot of opportunity to really relax, there is always work to be done in the village." his lips began to turn downwards into a frown, "So really, toilsome is the best word to describe growing up in my settlement."

Ruby nodded her head in understanding, while Yang chose that moment to cut in, "So, how big is the family?"

Jaune looked over at Yang, his gaze meeting hers, and for a moment he was silent, "Well, it's me, my sisters, my…" he bit his lip, pausing for a moment, "… _parents_ , and my grandfather."

Yang became intrigued at the mention of sisters, "Oh? How many sisters?" she said with a grin.

Jaune blinked a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Seven."

Yang's eyes briefly widened, "Wow, seven? That is a lot of sisters, how did you manage it?" she wrapped an arm around Ruby, pulling the crimsonette against her, "I could barely handle this little devil."

Ruby glared at Yang with puffed cheeks as she tried to pry herself out of her grip.

"Well, it probably helps that I was the youngest of eight." Jaune responded, casting a sympathetic glance at Ruby, "The woes of being the younger sibling, huh Ruby?"

Ruby nodded, and began to grin at Yang, who began to give Ruby a noogie in response. Jaune looked at the scene with a smile as he poked the fire, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

Ruby finally escaped Yang's clutches, and crossed her arms in a pout while Yang gave her that same cheeky grin.

As Jaune smiled at the scene, Weiss and Pyrrha were giving each other glances, as they seemed to be holding a silent conversation, Weiss swinging her arms about as Pyrrha watched, trying to dissect what she meant.

"Jaune, may I ask you something personal?" the game of charades between Weiss and Pyrrha suddenly ceased as they looked towards Blake.

Yang looked at Blake curiously, though her expression conveyed her nervousness as her gaze occasionally sifted to Jaune, who either did not notice, or pretended not to see.

Jaune shrugged his shoulders and poked the fire again, before grabbing another log and tossing it into the fire, "I don't see why not." sparks flew off the burning logs as he poked the fire again, "What did you want to know?"

Blake shifted in her seat as she looked down at her feet thoughtfully, taking in a slow and shallow breath, and then looking up at the blonde swordsman, "What did you see in the Grimm that made you react the way you did?"

Had Blake not been so focused on Jaune, she would have seen the incredulous stare of Yang, and the downright livid stare of Weiss, while Pyrrha shifted her vision towards Jaune, a worried look on her face as she stared at her partner.

Jaune stared at Blake for a moment, as his grip on the stick tightened slightly, his vision becoming cloudy for a moment, before he shook it off, and looked back at the fire.

This did not go unnoticed by Blake, who realized she may have crossed a line, "I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me, let's just forget I-"

"It's fine Blake." the scraggly blonde interrupted Blake, a heavy sigh escaping his lips while he poked at the fire one more time, "I did cause a bit of a scare there didn't I?" he asked with a hollow smile coming to his lips, an equally hollow chuckle echoing throughout the campsite, "And right after I told Grimm, _Grimm_ , to lay down, not exactly the best first impression huh?"

"Jaune I-" Blake tried to stop Jaune, only for him to hold up his hand and shake his head.

"No, no, it is alright Blake. You all have a right to know, especially if we are going to be working together from here on out." he brought his hand to the back of his head and scratched a little more forcefully than he would normally do, conveying the nervousness which this situation had caused.

"Jaune, if you don't want to talk about it that is ok." Jaune turned to the icy blue eyes of Weiss, who was giving him a look of concern, "None of us will then less of you for it."

Jaune's peripheral vision caught the nods of agreement from the other hunters in training, but he shook his head in response, "Maybe not, but it would be better you knew now than in another Grimm encounter where you don't know what to do if I _panic_ again."

He felt a hand fall upon his shoulder, and felt the firm, yet gentle Grimm transmit a sensation of comfort. He glanced at the hands owner, and found himself staring into the eyes of his partner Pyrrha, who smiled softly at him.

"You don't have to tell us unless you feel you are comfortable with telling us Jaune."

Jaune smiled back at Pyrrha, and reached out and placed his hand over hers, gently squeezing it, "Thank you Pyrrha, all of you." he glanced at the others, who smiled in appreciation, "But this is something you need to know, even if I am not comfortable with it."

Pyrrha frowned, "Jaune-"

"No Pyrrha, it is alright, I just…need to find the words." Jaune removed his hand off of hers, as her hand loosened its grip on his shoulder, and slowly fell back to her side, as Jaune looked down, as he tried to find the right words to explain, "I did see something that made me, _panic_ , but you'll think it's crazy."

"Nope." Ruby responded and stood up, "Whatever it was, it was enough to make you have a panic attack, those aren't good. Regardless of whether we think it is nothing, to you it was something."

Jaune looked at Ruby, a smile coming to his lips, and a sigh escaped them, "It was their eyes."

The seven hunter initiates were silent as they processed what Jaune had said, until Weiss broke the silence, "Their eyes?" her voice was inquisitive and yet perplexed in its tone as she processed what Jaune had said, "What about them?"

"They were yellow." Weiss looked at Pyrrha, whose eyes widened in recognition, as she stared at Jaune, "Their eyes were yellow, is that it?"

Jaune nodded his head, as he let a breath he didn't realize he had been holding flow from his lips, "Yes." he responded silently, as his fingers gripped into his thighs as he looked down, "I know it sounds crazy to have a panic attack over that, b-but…" he began to stammer as his fingers dug deeper into his thighs, as his body began to shake, his breathing becoming labored as his eyes snapped shut, "T-those eyes…" his arms began to tremble as his breathing hitched, a heavy wheeze replacing calm breaths as his hands clenched into fists.

Pyrrha's eyes widened and before she realized what she was doing, she had grabbed Jaune's hand, and gently squeezed it, mimicking what she had seen Weiss do earlier, "Shhh, shhh, Jaune, everything will be fine, please, j-just take d-deep breaths." she watched as her partner tried to follow her direction, even as Yang and Weiss sprang into action.

Ruby moved to grab Pyrrha, only for Weiss to glance at Ruby and shake her head, prompting the scythe wielder to stop, and glance at Weiss with a hesitant expression.

"Ruby, it's fine." Yang spoke up, prompting Ruby to slowly back off, but she remained at the ready in case Pyrrha needed to be pulled away.

Yang placed her hands on the side of Jaune's head, and pressed her forehead against his, "Shhhh, it's alright Jaune, just breathe with me."

Jaune continued to tremble as he registered Yang's words as he attempted to take in a breath.

Pyrrha nervously looked at Jaune, until a soft cough from Weiss drew her attention. A glance from the heiress to her hands, and a nod in turn prompted Pyrrha to gently squeeze Jaune's hand, as Weiss did the same with the other.

They could feel his pulse begin to slow as his breathing hitched as he tried to match his breathing with Yang's.

Yang smiled as she whispered, "You're doing fine Jaune, just focus on breathing." she whispered as her fingers softly drummed against his cheeks.

His racing pulse continued to slow, as Pyrrha and Weiss gently squeezed his hands, as his breathing returned to normalcy.

His body's trembles began to cease, the convulsions which shook his body slowing, until he felt in control of his body once again.

Slowly, Weiss untangled her fingers from Jaune's grip, as did the red haired champion, though hers lingered, resting on top of his hands as she leaned closer to him.

Yang kept her forehead pressed against his for a few moments longer, until she felt his pulse return to normal and she leaned back, her hand lifting Jaune's chin so he was looking at her in the eyes.

She couldn't help but flinch as she saw how distressed he had been, the eyes truly were windows to the soul. "Jaune, if this is causing you trouble then you-"

Jaune silenced her with a raised hand, as he tore his gaze away from her "Y-Yang, I know you are trying to help, but you all need to know this." he took in a deep breath, "Just, give me a moment." he flexed his fingers and began to breathe, his eyes shutting as he centered himself. Pyrrha's hand lingered over his as she worriedly looked over him, a frown of concern reaching her lips.

A minute turned into five minutes as they watched and waited, as they saw their fellow hunter initiate try and wrestle with his inner demons, before he broke the silence, "The reason that those…eyes…set me off, was because of my family and its beliefs."

Blake's eyes had narrowed as she tightened her fist, "What _beliefs_." she said with as neutral a tone as she could manage, though the venomous edge to it did not go as unnoticed as she would have hoped, if the glances from the others were anything to go by.

Jaune looked up at Blake, and sighed, "The Arc family, while living outside the Kingdoms still worship the same gods as those outside the kingdoms, has its own beliefs, much like many of the older families do." he took a deep breath, "In my family, the belief is that all the evil in the world stems from a single entity, older even than the gods themselves, an entity called The Darkness."

The eyes of all the hunter initiates were on him, as they waited for him to continue, though they felt a chill go up their spines at his words.

His tone conveyed his weariness as he carried on, "It is written that centuries ago, The Darkness latched onto the bloodline of the house of Arc, and manifested itself in the sons of the Arc family." a heavy breath escaped his lips, "Because of this myth, and my family's dogmatic belief in it, it affected the rules and inner workings of my family to a degree that even centuries ago were considered draconian. No Arc was permitted to marry outside the family, and until a century ago, no sons were allowed to be born either."

"Wait what?" Yang cut in, confusion flaring up as she stared at Jaune, still kneeling in front of him, "How did they regulate the gender of the children who were born? Did your family discover those weird gender defining herbs before anybody else did?"

The others gave similar looks of confusion to Jaune, only Weiss spoke up however as she leaned in closer to him from his side, "How long ago did your family find the herbs?" Weiss looked positively giddy to find out when this had occurred. She was a fan of history, and enjoyed seeing the different perspectives of history, but sadly most of the kingdoms shared a relatively common history, so conflicts in history did not spring up that much, but here was an opportunity to see history from the perspective of somebody from outside the kingdoms, it was phenomenal!

Jaune looked away uncomfortably as he muttered, "Uhm…actually…" he whispered so softly, that Weiss did not hear him.

"What was that?" she leaned in closer, turning her ear to hear him better. Jaune moved his lips to speak-

"Two hundred years ago."

Only for another to answer the question instead, and as the initiates turned to see who had answered, they found themselves looking at the form of Blake Belladonna, whose eyes had become wide, and were now filled with confusion.

Weiss regarded Blake curiously, wondering for a moment how she had heard him when she had not, but as she processed what Blake had said, her curious gaze became confused as she looked back at Jaune, "But, that was after most of the other history records say the herbs were found, by at least half a century."

"How did your family make sure no boys were born?" Ren asked with a tilt to his head, "Did they find some other means to make sure no boys were born? Some sort of elixir or potion?"

Jaune bit his lip as he looked down, "No, they never figured one out."

"Then, how did they make sure no boys were born?" Ruby asked, her visage twisting in confusion and curiosity. If the Arc laws said no boys were allowed to be born, how did they regulate what gender could be born without herbs or elixirs?

Jaune looked up at them as the seven hunter initiates stared at him, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips, "Perhaps 'no boys were born' wasn't the right choice of words." the tone to his voice was solemn, as if the words he were about to speak were harrowing to even think of.

The confused gaze of the others did not relent as they stared at him, "What do you mean?" Blake spoke up quietly, though her gaze began to show hints of nervousness as she waited for him to respond. Whatever it was he was about to say, she knew none of them would like it.

Jaune nervously scratched the back of his head, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, "Until two hundred years ago, the Arc family did not have access to the herbs that would ensure one gender was born over another, but the practice where Arc males were forbidden had been around for centuries before that." he took in a deep breath, "Until two hundred years ago, if an Arc son was born, they were either left in the woods to die at the hands of the Grimm or some other wild animal, or were immediately killed."

The campsite was silent, and for a moment, Jaune thought he could hear the sound of a leaf fluttering to the ground. He slowly raised his head to look at his fellow hunter initiates.

The looks of horror on their face were egregious, and some of them looked visibly nauseous.

"T-that's-" Yang stuttered, but found herself unable to finish her statement

"Barbaric!" Weiss screamed as she looked at Jaune, the fury she was expressing from what she had just heard was clear as day, "W-what, that is callous, draconian, just pure-"

"Evil." Jaune finished her statement, and nodded, "Yes, it was, and up until two hundred years ago, the practice was still alive and well. It ceased the moment the Arc family found a type of herb that would ensure no males were born." sighing heavily, "That practice also stopped when the Arc house allowed males to be born around a century ago but they were expressly forbidden from ever gaining access to their aura, ever." he glanced at Pyrrha, who was still staring at him in shock from what she had heard, "I am actually the first male Arc to ever have access to his aura."

They were silent as they tried to wrap their head around such a concept, mere centuries ago; Jaune's family had been killing newborn males, because of a myth? Even the most draconian laws from two hundred years ago never came close to that level of barbarism.

"Well, that is good right?" Ruby asked as she smiled, though it was clearly forced, "They went from killing newborn males to just not letting them use aura, not a lot of people in the kingdoms use aura anyways, so it is a pretty rapid change right?" she looked at the others, her smile becoming less forced as they nodded back to her

Jaune merely frowned as he stared at Ruby, his eyes glazing over as he stared at her, "Ruby, do you realize how dangerous it is outside the Kingdoms?"

Ruby blinked, "Uhm, pretty dangerous?" the settlements outside the Kingdoms did not have massive walls surrounding them, but Patch was much the same, it wasn't its own settlement per se, but it was outside the main Kingdom walls, so it was plenty dangerous.

Jaune blinked and began to speak, shaking his head, "Ruby, living outside the Kingdoms is toilsome because it is dangerous, anybody who can't fight cannot survive, and the only people who can combat the Grimm have access to Aura. Because of that, in the settlements, everybody has access to their aura even if they are not combat trained to give them a chance to survive a Grimm attack…everyone except Arc men." he looked down at the ground as the looks of the other initiates focused on him, "Because of that, no male Arc has ever reached the age of twenty three…Ruby…" he looked back up at her, her eyes wide as she processed what she had been told, "I am seventeen, for an Arc male, that is considered old, I probably wouldn't be alive a year from now, if that."

The shock on the others faces was evident, almost laughably so, but how else could they have reacted to _that_ news?

"Then why didn't they unlock your aura?" Pyrrha asked as she gripped his shoulder, the expression on her face showing her concern, and just a tad bit of anger as she tried to see the picture Jaune had painted for them.

How she hoped that the image she was seeing was wrong.

Jaune looked to her, his lips curling downward into a frown, "The myth of The Darkness, my family believes it, fears it, and because of that they did everything in their power to ensure that I never had access to my aura." his hands curled into fists, "Because they believe that so long as no Arc male has access to their aura then The Darkness cannot manifest itself and will stay locked away in their bloodline." he looked away from her as he grit his teeth, "Because of that myth, I was a prisoner in my own home, waiting for the day a Grimm broke through the settlement walls to kill me because my _parents_ were more afraid of a myth than they were afraid of losing their only son." his fists slowly began to uncurl, "My grandfather was the only one who believed in me, the only one who encouraged me to move beyond what my mother planned for me, to prove her _wrong_ …and…yet…" his fists began to uncurl as his fingers began to tremble as his teeth began to grind together.

Yang and Weiss saw this, and began to look nervous, and Ruby looked like she was about ready to pull Pyrrha away as she looked worriedly at her partner, as Blake, Ren, and Nora stood idle, unsure of what to do as they saw their fellow huntsman begin to convulse.

"Those eyes, those damn _accursed_ e-eyes!" his voice began to crack, his breathing becoming labored as he felt tears start to trickle from his eyes.

Those eyes.

Just like in that nightmare.

Why those eyes?

W-why?!

He gasped as he tried to breathe, as Pyrrha was began to squeeze his hand, as Weiss began to do the same, while Yang brought her hands up to the side of his head and pressed her forehead against his once more.

They felt the pulse in his veins become faster and faster, as his convulsions began as he unconsciously thrashed in their grip.

His body convulsed more violently, and he took in a deep breath, "I-It's just a myth, it's n-not real, it c-c-can't be." he stammered, a steady flow of tears running from his eyes as he snapped them shut, and a choked sob escaped his lips.

Yang bit her lip, an intense wave of concern and worry passing through her as she felt his convulsions become worse, as she softly drummed her fingers against his cheek, "Shhh, shhh, it's ok, just breathe with me Jaune, just focus on breathing with me."

She wracked her brain for anything to say to calm him, Weiss and Pyrrha were trying to keep a steady rhythm to their motions, but his thrashing almost caused them to lose their grip, even as Weiss began to hum softly, while Pyrrha had brought her free hand to her mouth as her other continued to gently squeeze Jaune's arm in sync with Weiss, but it wasn't working. He was so afraid, it all made sense, the panic attacks, his violent reaction, it all made sense.

But how did she use that to keep him calm, how did she help somebody who had been made to fear something his whole life, whose very fear seemed to have come _to_ life?

Her eyes flashed in realization, and she prodded Weiss, nodding her head to Jaune's arms, and Weiss reacted swiftly, interlocking her fingers in Jaune's hands, and slowly squeezing them. Pyrrha saw this and did the same, as the two of them hummed in sync, though Pyrrha was having trouble keeping up with Weiss.

Yang took in a deep breath as she readjusted her hands position on either side of Jaune's head, "Shhh, shhhh, it's going to be ok Jaune, just keep breathing."

Jaune did as he was told, even as a choked sob broke free from his lips, as he tried to breathe.

Yang exhaled softly, her forehead still pressed against his, "Jaune, you know what a semblance is, right?"

Jaune continued to breathe, in and out, in and out, but he nodded to Yang's question, and for a moment, his eyes began to open before he instinctively forced them shut.

"A semblance is the manifestation of more than our soul, it's an extension of who we are. Our thoughts, dreams, hopes, and fears all determine the nature of our semblance." Yang bit her lip, "My semblance, gives me strength by taking the hits for others, because I made one mistake which has haunted me for as long as I can remember."

Ruby bit her lip as she stared at Yang, which did not go unnoticed by Blake, Ren, or Nora, even as they watched as their fellow initiate convulsed and thrashed from the panic attack.

"Because of that mistake I punished myself every day by taking the hits that I thought I deserved for my screw-up, and my semblance formed to respond to that, but I still feel the pain from each hit, each strike, but I get stronger from that." she pressed her forehead more firmly against his, "Jaune, your semblance is responding to your fear."

Jaune's eyes slowly began to open, his labored breathing slowing down, steadily becoming more even, as Weiss continued to rhythmically squeeze his hands.

"Your fear of The Darkness was instilled into you since you were a child, even if you now know The Darkness is just a myth, that fear controlled so much of your life, and now your semblance is responding to that fear. Jaune, you can command the Grimm, not because of The Darkness, but because of you." Jaune's eyes were now completely open, and although his tears were still flowing, they had slowed, "You are the one in control, not a myth, not The Darkness, you."

Slowly, Jaune's convulsions had slowed, until they stopped altogether, his eyes were no longer brimming with tears as the ones he had shed began to dry, his breathing had returned to normal.

Several minutes passed as Jaune simply sat there, while his partner leaned closer to his side after he had finally returned to a place of relative serenity, as Ruby placed a hand on Yang's shoulder, and the two sisters met each other's gaze, a knowing look passed between them, and they smiled back at one another.

The remaining three hunters in training watched from afar, as Nora leaned in close to Ren, "Do you think she's right?"

Ren looked at Nora with curiosity, and then back at Yang, "About his semblance?"

Nora nodded, "Do you think Jaune's semblance actually lets him control Grimm because of his fear?"

Ren looked thoughtful as he watched Yang and Weiss step away from Jaune and return to their seats, processing the information at hand.

While it was true that a semblance formed in accordance with the soul of its user, he had never heard of a semblance that even closely resembled what Jaune had done. But Jaune was an anomaly, his aura reserves were off the charts, he could feel them without even having to try to sense them, and the truth was they knew absolutely nothing of the Grimm, and while all of the people of Remnant had learned to fear or loathe the Grimm, fear of this 'Darkness' defined Jaune's entire life, from birth until what would have been his inevitable and seemingly rapidly approaching demise.

Could this way he had been raised defined his semblance so much that it gave him command over the creatures that all people viewed as beings of darkness?

It all seemed to add up, and yet, something was out of place.

He only prayed to the nine that it was just because of ignorance, and not because of something more.

* * *

Observing from the multitude of hidden cameras in the Emerald Forest, the professors of Beacon watched the exchange between the eight hunter initiates with rapt attention. Several times over, they had been tempted to run into the forest to retrieve the students, and several times over Ozpin had held them back. As they watched Jaune calm down from his most recent panic attack, they began to ponder the validity to Yang's explanation to Jaune.

"It seems the most logical conclusion, it is highly unlikely, but not impossible, the lack of information on Grimm biology is matched only by our lack of knowledge how upbringings affect the development of semblances, and further research into both fields is considered taboo." with good reason, several instances in the past had suggested they put orphan children in environments to control their emotional upbringing to determine how a semblance might develop, it was one of the few things agreed across all four Kingdoms, and even in the few settlements beyond the kingdoms that still closely associated with them.

Peter Port glanced at Bartholomew Oobleck, "I am in agreement with you Bart." he huffed, crossing his arms as he looked into his scroll, and watched the students return to the makeshift seats that Nora Valkyrie had made, "The idea of an entity older than the Gods residing in a single bloodline, it's preposterous."

Ozpin was silent as he stared at the screen of his scroll, as Glynda glanced at him with concern.

"Headmaster, what should we do about this?" she slid her finger across the face of her scroll, showing camera feeds of the Grimm Horde, which still lingered in place.

Ozpin cast a calculating gaze towards the screen, before a heavy sigh left his lips as he closed his scroll, "Have the students begin a purge of the Grimm in the immediate vicinity of the academy. They are to do a sweep of no more than the interior perimeter surrounding the academy, any student in violation will face repercussions, ensure they are aware of this. Once they complete their sweep, have them return to their dorms." he looked back at the forest, "I will remain here and keep watch, the three of you should rest."

Glynda's expression conveyed her concern, "Ozpin, you have been here longer than the three of us, perhaps it would be best if-"

"Miss Goodwitch." the tone of his voice silenced Glynda, as he cast a neutral, yet commanding gaze towards her, "I will be fine, ensure the students do as they are told, and then return to your quarters." he looked away from her, and back at the forest.

Glynda stared at the back of Ozpin's head, her hand tightly wrapped around her riding crop as she tried to find the words to dispute his command, and yet the words would not come to her lips.

With a heavy sigh, she turned away, and began to head back to the academy, but not before looking back at the headmaster with a look of concern, and then turned away to march back to the academy.

Ozpin stared out at the wilderness as he took in the sights and sound, the eerie quiet, which at this time of night should have been filled with the howls and roars of Grimm.

That single change of atmosphere, however small, cast lingering concerns upon the headmasters mind as he glanced back at the scroll in his hand, idly flipping it open, his thumb hovering over one of the scrolls many features.

Lightly grinding his teeth together, he wondered whether he should press the button, whether he should use the feature, whether he was just being a paranoid old man or not.

He flipped the phone closed, and looked back out at the forest.

It was too late for scroll calls anyways.

* * *

 **An:** Wow, this took longer than we anticipated, and it is shorter to boot, we apologize for the delay, we will aim to get the next chapter out a little bit sooner.

We hoped you enjoyed this story, and we hope the humor wasn't too hit or miss.

 **Important!:** The Scenes where Jaune is having panic attacks and the parts where Weiss, Pyrrha and Yang are calming him down, that information was acquired through a website on how to help people with Panic attacks, with that said, I acquired that information via a website, and just because I found it on a seemingly legitimate medical website, does not make it true, under no circumstances should you take the scene in question as advice on how to help somebody having a panic attack, consult a doctor, physician, or whatever medical expert specializes in the fields of panic attacks. I cannot stress this enough.

Now to Answer Questions

1\. Why the emphasis on the ruins?: The Emerald Forest has been shown to have several instances of ruins in them, likely from a previous civilization, it is doubtful that the forest only contains two sets of ruins, likely there are more sites within the forest.

2\. Why is Blake being Cautious?: Jaune commanded Grimm, they don't know the limits of that ability yet, caution is a must in this scenario.

3\. Why the addition to Nora's backstory?: Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren got into Beacon for a reason, Nora mentioned Ren was the perfect student, and Nora had to have gotten noticed somehow, so, we put her as top of her class in 'Dust Mechanics and Application' in Bethel academy in Mistral. It makes sense given the fact she uses those pink grenades, she has to be pretty good with dust, I doubt they just mass manufacture her brand of ammunition, and I doubt Ren has time to set up her ammunition as well as his own.

4\. Bethel Academy?: The way we saw it, each of the Four Kingdoms has a theme with their hunter academies. In Vale, they have Signal academy, and Beacon academy, which are synonyms. In Mistral, they have Sanctum and Haven, both of which are words for sanctuaries, Bethel is a word to describe a sanctuary for sea-faring travelers, it is actually defined as a 'Hostel for sea faring travelers' in several dictionaries, hence the naming. It is highly unlikely that the Four Kingdoms only have one Hunter preparatory academy, hence, Bethel in Mistral.

5\. Ren getting angry at Nora?: Ren may appear patient, but even the most patient person will lose their shit, and with what Nora said, and the explanation behind it, Ren losing his shit was expected.

6\. What do you mean by 'Before the Grimm Sire there was peace'?: Okay, here is a basic rundown, before the Grimm Sire, humans and the Faunus that were alive at the time had a basic understanding; you did your part to survive, there was safety in numbers, nobody was able to do it all on their own, they needed each other. The Grimm Sire ended that understanding by instilling the first divide in mankind and Faunus, which never went away because the Grimm did not wipe out the ones who held negativity within them, thus the divide persists.

7\. Why was Jaune not offended even after the explanation was given to him?: Just because he understands the reasoning doesn't mean he agrees with it, he understands the belief, but is not offended because of the insinuation Nora accidentally implied, he wouldn't even be offended if somebody said 'You are of the Grimm Sire' to his face because of his upbringing.

8\. Jaune forcing himself to tell them something that made him uncomfortable?: He felt they needed to know, and was willing to put himself through discomfort to make sure they did know.

9\. Jaune describing his families age old customs as evil?: Yes, he defines them as evil, just because it is his family that did the act, does not make it any less evil, nor does it hold bearing on who he is now. So he calls what they did, evil.

10\. Who was Ozpin going to call?: That would be spoiling.

 **Bethel Academy:** One of the Hunter preparatory academies of Mistral, it is an academy that trains its students near the coasts of the surrounding region of Mistral. Sea faring Grimm and amphibious Grimm are the more common Grimm variants those of this academy face, along with Grimm that prey along the shorelines.

 **God of Nature:** Patron divine of Faunus, Dust Mages and Farmers, who offer prayers to this God, though each for different reasons. For Faunus, they offer prayers to this God, thanking them for the life they have been given, as the God of Nature is the begetter of their race. Dust Mages offer prayers to this God in gratitude for the tool that they wield in battle, Dust. For Farmers, they offer prayers to this God to ask for a plentiful harvest and benign climate, that they may consolidate the greatest number of crops for each Harvest.

 **God of Mankind:** Patron divine of Mankind and Faunus alike, though often forgotten by the Faunus even as the God of Mankind begat them just as the God of Nature did so. Both Mankind and Faunus offer prayers to this God in many things, for it was the God of Mankind which crafted their shape, the hands that grasp, the eyes that see, the skin that feels, and the mind that ponders. Doctors, scientists, artists, and thieves offer prayers to this God, for it was its design that their form came to be.

 **God of Souls/Grimm Sire:** Patron Divine and Adversary to Huntsman and Huntresses, to Guardians and Brigands, to Mankind and Faunus alike, this God is both worshiped and reviled, the source of all hope, and the source of all malevolence. Prayers are offered to this God, to thank it for the Soul with which it has gifted Mankind and Faunus alike, and condemnations are whispered to this God to curse it for all the wickedness it has wrought.

 **Recommendations:** Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Rise of the White Wolf-The White Wulf

-Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-The Heat-wildstraydog

-The Warmth of Winter-RareNyte

-Squire-Dakaath

-Arc-Angel-KtyouVsWriting

-Legacy-Greatcow

-RWBY: The Grimm Warrior-CaptainPrice

-Blake's Mistake-wildstraydog

-RWBY: Destiny of Remnant-ultraguy7x

-How I Made You Meet Mom-PhantomGalaxy13

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

I surely will recall more stories that I feel deserve more recognition for the work their authors put in them, but for now, please check out these stories, they are a fantastic read, and deserve more attention than they are getting.

 **Please show your support...read, write, review, follow, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons.**


	4. Avowal Prior Havoc

**Disclaimer** -Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchblade, or Artifacts in any way, shape, or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and is the creation of Monty Oum...The Darkness, Witchblade, and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice** **:** This story, along with just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon. We will extract elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy rewrite of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts, or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Now, without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

* * *

The sky, once dark with the light of the moon and stars as the only source of illumination, now burned with colors and hues and shades of red, orange, purple, and gold. The sun rose over the distant horizon, casting its warm light upon the plateau where the hunters in training had laid to rest the night before.

A futile effort, as not a single eye gained so much as an iota of rest. How could they, with a horde of Grimm so close to them, however placid they may have appeared to be?

The first to rise from their makeshift bedding, his blue eyes bloodshot and heavy from lack of sleep, his golden blonde hair fluttering in the morning breeze as he groggily made to stand, his movements slow as he stumbled, grabbing onto the outcropping of what used to be a temple as she stretched, the cracks and pops of stiff joints and limbs echoing.

He looked around at the others, and sighed as he saw them all staring at the sky, or the stone, or whatever they had happened to have been looking at as they tried to sleep. Their eyes burning with the same sensation that lack of sleep brought upon them.

Following after him, the red haired Mistralian who had become his partner rose into a sitting position as she stretched, her limbs popping as she made to stand, stumbling, she grabbed onto the same outcropping as he did.

One by one, the hunters in training groggily rose from their positions of rest, eyes bloodshot and bags forming underneath their eyes.

Even the exuberant Nora was noticeably unsteady as the lack of sleep sapped her of more vitality than she was comfortable with.

That being said, she still had more energy than the rest of them combined.

"Good morning every bo-AAAAWN!" her lively greeting was broken by a yawn, as she rubbed at her eyes, pouting as she looked around.

A befuddled expression overtook her features as she glanced at her fellow hunters in training, "Where's Ren?"

"He took last watch last night." Nora's gaze turned towards Blake, who was stretching as she answered, "He should be over near the path entry."

Nora grinned in response, "Thanks Blakey!" she bolted over in the direction of the pathway, stumbling along the way, falling flat into the dirt, "Owie." she pushed herself back up and continued off in the direction of Ren.

The others just stared with a deadpan expression, until the silence was broken, "How does Ren put up with her?" the question came from the Schnee heiress, who was leaning against a ruined wall.

Beside her, leaning against the same rock wall, Ruby shrugged and pushed her hands in the air, interlocking her fingers as she stretched, "Probably years of practice."

Weiss sighs, "I suppose you're right in that regard." she stretched as well, wincing as she heard and felt her arm pop, rolling her shoulder as she began to walk towards her supplies in the center of the camp.

Yang came to the center of the campsite as well, and began to look through her bags, "So, any ideas for what to eat?"

Weiss looked up from her bag, and frowned, "I don't have much, just some celery and some dried beans."

Yang pulled out what she had managed to fish out, "I have some carrots, and crackers." she pulled out both.

At the same time, the others were bringing out whatever they had brought, Pyrrha had brought some nuts and berry mix, Blake had brought some canned meat, and Ruby had used up most of her supplies the night before, but she still had some potato's in her bag.

Pyrrha turned to Jaune, who had not gone to his bag, "Did you bring anything?"

Jaune turned to her, shaking his head, "No, I figured I could just forage for food." he looked around, "This isn't too different a climate to where my village is, there's probably some mushrooms and roots that are safe to eat nearby." his eyes lit up somewhat, "Maybe some berries too."

Pyrrha frowned, "Have you ever foraged for food before?" she asked with a raised brow.

Jaune looked back at her, nervously scratching the back of his head, "Well, not much, but I saw others do it when I was younger, I think I still remember the basics of what not to eat, or touch." he grimaced, as images of past rashes jumped to the forefront of his mind.

Blake frowned, "You sure you want to go foraging, I am sure we have enough to share." she said holding out a can, while slowly sliding another behind her.

Jaune shook his head, "Nah, it's fine, you go on ahead and get your meals ready, I'll be back with whatever I find." he started towards a small cluster of bushes near some overturned pillars, "Who knows, I may find some berries." he waved off at them before making his way towards the bush clusters.

At the same time as Jaune was leaving, Nora was making her return with Ren in tow, "Ooooh, we making breakfast?" Nora shot her gaze to Ren, "Can you make pancakes?" she asked with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Ren sighed and shook his head, "No Nora, I didn't have enough room in my pouch to pack a skillet, we'll just have to settle for the protein bars."

Nora blanched at Ren's suggestion, "But they taste awful."

Ren nodded, "True, but given that none of us got any sleep last night, and they give us energy, it would be best to have some."

As he reached into his pouch, Yang gave him a quizzical look, "How do you know none of us slept last night, shirking your duties to spy on the ladies?" she said with a playful grin.

Ren glanced at her as he pulled out a roll of bars wrapped in twine, "No, but I don't think a party of seasoned hunters could sleep soundly with that many Grimm nearby." he pointed over his shoulder towards where the Grimm horde was, and began to toss bars at the others, while pocketing four for himself and Nora.

Yang shrugged, "True enough." she unwrapped the bar and gave him a look of concern, "Speaking of which, anything _hordeible_ happen with the Grimm?" she grinned as Ruby and Nora glared at her with annoyance, before she bit into her packaged breakfast, nearly spitting it out, "Oh Gods that is awful!"

Ren chuckled, as Nora stuck her tongue out at her before the two of them took their seats, "Yes, yes they are horrible." he unwrapped his own and began to eat it, while Nora scarfed down hers to get rid of the taste as quick as possible, "But to answer your question, no, the Grimm didn't do anything last night, far as I could tell they stayed where Jaune told them to stay." he bit into the bar again, cringing at the taste as the others processed what he had said.

Pyrrha glanced at him with a glint in her eyes, "Does that mean that Jaune's orders are absolute until he gives them a different order?" if that was the case, then Jaune could provide a serious boon to the Kingdoms.

Ren sensed that Pyrrha was hopeful that this was the case, and he felt a twinge of guilt as he had to rip that away, "No, but it does mean that his orders do last for prolonged periods. I did not see the horde move, but, it is still possible his commands do have a decay based on time, but how long until his orders become null and void and they revert to a previous consciousness, I don't know." he bit into his meal again.

Weiss chose this moment to interject, "True, but it does mean that his semblance can be of use, if only for a short time."

Ren nodded at this, "True, which makes the next topic of conversation all the more difficult to bring up."

The eyes of the others all turned to regard him with a concerned gaze, "What do you mean?" Ruby spoke up, as Pyrrha looked at Ren with narrowed eyes, though there was no malice behind her gaze.

Ren glanced at the others, and sat up straight, "Jaune told us that his family had not allowed him access to aura, and since they hid him away in their home, he probably did not get combat training against Grimm either, so, how did he get into Beacon?"

The question hung in the air for a moment as the seven hunters in training processed it, how _did_ Jaune get into Beacon?

He had no access to aura until Pyrrha unlocked it, and if he was locked away by his family, it was doubtful that he could fight all that well either, so how had he gotten into Beacon?

There was no way he could have gotten in legitimately, so, did he know one of the staff? Or did he find some other way to get in without being noticed?

"Hey guys, I am back!" they were broken out of their musing as the subject of their thoughts entered the campsite, "I found some mushrooms, some roots, and you wouldn't believe how many berries I found on one bush, I couldn't carry them all there was so many." he said with a grin as he sat down on his 'chair' and smiled at them, holding out the handful of berries, "Want some? They're a little tart, but they taste great."

He continued to smile at them, his gaze meeting their own, until his smile began to fall, and a look of concern replaced his features as he noticed the curious and hesitant looks adorning their features, "Uhm, is something wrong?" he looked around at them, and glanced at the berries, "If you're worried the berries are poisonous, then don't be, I made absolutely certain these weren't the kind that-"

"Jaune?"

Jaune's speech was halted as the voice of Pyrrha cut through the air, her tone was firm, but held a calmness about it that made Jaune look towards her with confusion, "Uhm, yeah Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha bit her lip as she began to clench her hands nervously, glancing at the others, who were looking at her with dubious and hesitant gazes, before she took a deep breath and looked straight at Jaune, "Jaune, how did you get into Beacon?"

The gazes of the others shifted from Pyrrha to Jaune, whose expression turned from concerned to nervous, his frown shifting into a forced smile, twitching at the edge of his lips.

"W-what do you mean?" he said with a clear and obvious stutter.

Pyrrha bit her lip, trying to find the words, but before she could speak, Weiss chose that moment to interject, "Jaune, you said it yourself, your family did not want you to have access to aura."

Jaune flinched, remembering that he had said such things, "W-well, yes but-" Blake cut off his statement before he could continue.

"As you said, your family hid you away in your home, that you were just waiting for a Grimm to get past the walls and kill you, so you don't even have combat training."

Jaune looked away, but turned his head to regard her, "N-not official training, but I practiced with what I could find and-"

"Jaune, the combat exams pit you against a trained professional, so unless you were practicing against Grimm you were not going to display enough skill to be considered a prospective student for Beacon unless somebody was able to give you a free pass on your transcripts." Ren pointed out, his eyes focused upon Jaune, who was quickly beginning to pale.

Jaune bit his lip, "Look I just had...I…" Jaune's stammered response ceased as he looked between the others, who stared at him with that questioning gaze, as he felt his pores begin to sweat profusely

"I just…" he tried to speak, his gaze turning fearful, as he tried to find the words, anything to say, but nothing came from him.

He fell silent as he lowered his head, avoiding their gaze, still boring into him.

He felt a hand place itself on his shoulder, "Jaune?" his gaze turned to regard the bearer of the palm upon him, and he found himself looking into the green eyes of Pyrrha, her gaze burning, not with curiosity, but concern, "We're partners, aren't we?"

Jaune blinked, and slowly nodded his head, "Y-yes, b-but-"

Pyrrha held up her other hand, stopping his speech, as she took a deep breath, "Jaune, partners are supposed to trust each other, with the good and the bad." she gently squeezed his shoulder, "So now, as your partner, I am asking you to trust me. No excuses and no lies."

Jaune looked away, his gaze avoiding hers and the others.

For a moment, he closed his eyes, refusing to look at her, until he felt a soft grip find its way to his jaw, as his head was slowly turned, his eyes opening on pure reflex, as he found himself staring back at Pyrrha, who wore a warm smile upon her face.

Jaune tried to look away, "Pyrrha I-"

"You can't get it wrong if it's the truth."

Jaune looked back at Pyrrha, an expression of nervousness marring his features, and his gaze turned to look at the others.

The same gaze of concern was on their own features, even as the curiosity remained.

Finally, after several long seconds of looking at each other, a sigh of resignation escaped Jaune's lips, "I...did not get into Beacon by legitimate means."

Pyrrha's eyes widened for but a moment, even as she stared at him her expression unchanged, even as those around her had their own looks of shock, "How?"

Jaune sighed as he brought his hands up to his face, "After I ran away from home, I found a place in Vale, a club that had connections, information brokers, thugs, you name it. I went there and found somebody who could make a good forgery, good enough to pass off for the real deal."

Pyrrha's eyes widened further, "So y-you-" Pyrrha was silenced as Jaune's gaze snapped to look at her, and she could not help but flinch as she saw the look in his eyes, how morose he clearly was.

"You said you can't get it wrong if it is the truth Pyrrha, well, there it is." Jaune stared into her eyes for a moment longer, before he turned his gaze towards the others, who were all equally as shocked, "I am a fraud, a fake, a cheat, a liar, that is the truth." he looked down at his hands, which had curled into fists.

The other hunters in training were shocked at his admission, as they tried to process the picture that was presented to them.

"Why?" Jaune's gaze turned to the one who had spoken, and found the lilac eyes of Yang staring at him with an intense and concerned gaze.

Jaune clenched his fists tighter as he shot up from his seat, "Because I was tired of being trapped in my village, unable to do anything but wait for the next Grimm attack to come, and hope that somehow I did not die because one of them got through the walls. Because this was the life I wanted, because all I ever wanted to do was this. Not sewing in the corner, not baking cause I couldn't leave my home, not dancing to pass the time, none of it, I wanted to be a Huntsman, I wanted to be free and if I had to break a few laws so I could have the _chance_ to be that, so be it."

Yang slowly stood up from her seat, moving her gaze to find his, "Jaune I get that you felt powerless but-"

"No, you have no idea how it felt!" he roared at Yang, his eyes hardening as his pupils dilated, as Yang was visibly shocked by the sudden emotional change in the blonde, "I wasn't just powerless Yang, I was useless, I was completely and utterly useless. I couldn't contribute anything, I may have been allowed outside of my home when I was a child, but when a Grimm got through the barricades I was locked away inside and no matter what I said, neither of my parents would train me, even if it meant I could live a little longer, all because they were afraid I might somehow access my aura."

Yang slowly stepped forward, her arm gently lying upon his shoulder, and Yang could feel him shake from the anger, "What you did could have gotten you killed, Jaune." Yang uttered softly as Jaune slowly looked back at her, his gaze still holding that same level of fury she had seen burning before, but it was now stained with a despondent tone, as the trembling of his body began to wane, and even the anger in his eyes began to dim, until all she could see was sorrow.

"At least I'd be dying on my terms." he muttered, turning away from her, removing her arm from his shoulder as he turned away from them, and began to pace away from them.

At the moment Jaune began to turn away, Weiss spoke up, "Jaune, don't you understand what this means exactly?"

Jaune stopped his pacing, but only bothered to turn his head enough to glance over his shoulder, looking back at the white haired heiress, "I've thought about the possibility, but I'm sure you ae _itching_ to tell me what it means." he spoke up with an edge to his voice.

Before Weiss could respond back to him, Ren interrupted her, "Jaune, you entered Beacon illegally. The rules are quite clear on this, you will no doubt be expelled. They will send you back home." Ren's voice carried a tone of certainty and yet it belied a tone of remorse for the news he delivered.

Jaune's reaction was sudden, but not unexpected given the news, his fists clenched until his nails began to stab into his palms, and his muscles began to tremble, "No, I won't go back, I'll live on the streets before I go back to being caged again."

"Jaune…" the blonde swordsman continued to shiver, even as his gaze turned to the one who had spoken, as he looked into the eyes of his partner, "…I don't think that will be necessary."

Looks of confusion passed over the faces of the others as they stared back at Pyrrha, who moved to Jaune's side, and gently placed a hand upon his shoulder.

Pyrrha continued to speak as she gently gripped his shoulder, "Normally Ren would be correct, but…" she paused, as if trying to find the words, "…your Semblance, it is an enormous boon. I believe, no, I know the Headmaster would very well wish to keep you here, if only to study your Semblance further."

Jaune looked back at Pyrrha, and although his trembling had subsided, the look in his eyes showed his disbelief, the chuckle from his lips only cemented that fact with its depressed tone, "Yeah, because that will be fair to all the other initiates who actually worked hard to get into a Hunter Academy. I came here illegally, I know that, but do you think Ozpin will care about my home life or abilities when he has an Academy filled with students to care for who came here legitimately?" he said quietly, as he reached for Pyrrha's hand on his shoulder, albeit with hesitation

"Life isn't fair." Jaune's attention, and that of the others suddenly were drawn to Weiss, "Jaune, do you know how many students who come from wealthy backgrounds enter Academies with unfair advantages?" she did not wait for his response before she continued, "They have their families wealth to buy them the best equipment, hire the best tutors. They enter the Academies with huge advantages over those who come from normal families." she gestured to herself, "Look at me for example. The Schnee family fortune helped me, and look at Pyrrha…" she said gesturing to the red haired Mistralian, "…she was skilled and happened to be noticed by the right people at the right time to get better training and equipment than anyone here. This isn't about being fair Jaune." she spoke softly, her hand slowly reaching up to her scar, a subconscious motion, "Life isn't fair."

At this time, Yang chose that moment to cut in, "Yeah, Frosty is right." ignoring the glare from the heiress, Yang continued, "Do you think it's fair Ruby and I grew up in a broken home?" she asked her fellow blonde, "No, it isn't. But life isn't about being fair. It's about giving us whatever hand its going to give us, and us doing the best we can with what we got."

Jaune looked between the others, who nodded their heads in affirmation, as he felt his head lower, and a sigh escape his lips. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke, "I…I get what you are saying." he looked back up at them, "But what if he doesn't agree to let me stay, what if he tosses me out, or worse, puts me on the first Bullhead back home?"

"If he tries to, I will stand up for you Jaune." Pyrrha stood in front of him, placing both her hands on his shoulders, "I will do whatever I can to make sure you stay, you have my word." she spoke with such conviction and certainty, that Jaune was visibly taken aback.

Jaune couldn't tear his gaze from Pyrrha's, as he sputtered out a response, "B-but, we've only known each other for barely a day, why would you go to such lengths f-for somebody you barely know?"

Pyrrha's gaze did not shift, did not waver, did not diminish in intensity as she responded, "As Huntsman and Huntresses, our duty is to the people of Remnant, through all walks of life, we are to be their sword and shield against the wicked and amoral forces of this world." she gently squeezed his shoulder, the action filling his being with a sense of comfort as the red haired huntress before him uttered her justification, "No matter how briefly I know you, you are one of the people of Remnant. To sit by and do nothing as you are returned to a life you risked imprisonment and possible death to be free of because I did not know you well enough, would make me unworthy of being a huntress. "

Jaune was taken aback by the response of his partner, his lips parted to respond, but nothing escaped his lips.

Suddenly, Ruby shot up from her seat, a toothy grin illuminating her expression, her silver eyes shimmering with mirth and a passionate fire, "Yep! I wanted to become a huntress to help people. You can count on my support there, that's a Ruby Rose promise!" she held out her arm, a thumb pointed upwards.

Beside her, Yang looked at her sister with a humorous gaze, but her eyes seemed to dim slightly, and a thoughtful spark passed over her pupils, before she too turned to regard her fellow blonde, "Well, with my sister supporting you, I don't really have much choice but to do the same, eh Vomit-Boy?" she said with a grin.

Though Jaune could tell there was some strain behind her expression.

"You can count on my support." Jaune's gaze shifted to look upon Blake, who was giving him a gentle smile, "If Ozpin tries to send you back, you can count on me to stand up for you."

The twinkle in her eye told Jaune all he needed to know, and he felt his lips curl into a smile in response.

"Oh yeah!" Nora bellowed out with an elated pitch reverberating so loudly that the others jumped back at the noise, "You can bet on it Jauney, no way you're going back there without me giving the Headmaster a piece of my mind!" she grinned with a shimmer of determined glee on her features, though Jaune could behold a certain dire edge to her gaze.

A low cough brought his attention to the two other members of their entourage, as Ren and Weiss both shared a similar conflicted expression.

Ren was the first to speak as he tried to calm his friend, "While I agree with what Pyrrha says, we can't be overly optimistic on this. Considering a measure of caution would be more pragmatic than just winging it and hoping for the best."

Pyrrha's gaze turned to Ren, and for a moment, her hands clenched, before she calmed herself, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Ren sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, as he and Nora returned to a sitting position, "I don't want to see Jaune get carted back to what he risked life and limb to escape from, but we could all get in serious trouble for keeping this a secret, or helping him."

The others who had been so eager to aid Jaune, had brief cringes appear on their faces, all but Pyrrha, who did not waver, "So what do you propose, we just stand aside just because the rules say we should?"

Ren glanced at Pyrrha, who although unrelenting in her intent, held no malice behind her gaze, she was not accusing him, she wanted to know more, "While I do believe rules exist for valid reason, what I am saying is that if we want to ensure Jaune stays here, we can't use an emotional argument to convince the headmaster to let him stay. We need a good reason for why having him stay is the best course of action despite his illicit means of getting in."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, "He can command Grimm, that seems like a pretty good reason."

Ren looked back at the younger huntress in training and nodded, "Yes, it is, but presenting that to the headmaster has to be logical, not emotionally driven, especially if we are keeping this a secret as well. We may take his ability to command Grimm just fine, but what about the other students, what about the citizens of Remnant?" he sighed, "I know this isn't what anybody wants to hear, I don't even like saying it, but if we do this inadequately, it won't just be Jaune that is kicked out of Beacon."

They looked down, the gravity of this situation truly weighing down upon them. Ruby, Nora, Blake, and Yang now had more conflicted expressions on their faces. It was the right thing to help Jaune in their minds, but at the same time, their own chances at becoming Huntresses would be put at risk by aiding him.

"I don't care."

They all turned to look at Pyrrha, whose gaze remained fixed, as Jaune placed his hand on her shoulder, "Pyrrha, please, Ren is right we can't just-" Pyrrha turned her gaze to him, her determined gaze now contained a steely edge to it.

"I made my choice Jaune, I am not going to abandon my partner." Pyrrha uttered, as Jaune frowned at her.

"It's not about abandoning me, it's about doing what's right." he spoke with a soft tone, "If I got you all kicked out of Beacon for hiding my secret, then I'd feel even worse. I'd rather take the fall myself than let all of you get punished for my actions."

Pyrrha's gaze seemed to flicker, the passion in her gaze dimming as she registered his words, "But Jaune, that isn't fair to you." she whispered, her gaze meeting his once again.

Jaune sighed, though a ghost of a smile found its way to his lips, "Like Snow Angel said, life isn't fair."

Yang coughed into her hand, snickering as Weiss' face flushed in embarrassment and annoyance, though she chose not to comment.

"Grrrrrnnn" the almost deafening silence was broken, as almost simultaneously, the makeshift campsite had become the site of an Aria, with their stomachs as the brass section.

"Ahem." Weiss finally spoke up, "M-Maybe we should eat, we still have a long day ahead of us if we're going to make it to the temple in time to pass initiation."

Seven simultaneous nods occurred as they all sat down to their meals. Jaune grabbed the roots and mushrooms he had managed to find, and was about to take a bite 'Plop' right up until an object fell into his lap.

Jaune looked down, and found a protein bar sitting in his lap, glancing upwards, he saw Ren looking back at him, with a smile on his face, "You won't make it to the temple on just mushrooms and berries Jaune."

Jaune blinked, smiling back at Ren as he opened the wrapper, "Thanks Ren…" he bit into the bar, "You really are a-oh merciful gods!" he slapped his hand to his mouth, and looked visibly queasy.

Yang shot him a sympathetic look, while Nora chuckled underneath her breath as Jaune tried to swallow the morsel, which he swore was concentrated bitterness mixed with an overly gamey taste.

Pyrrha handed him her canteen, which he eagerly accepted with a grateful nod, before downing a whole swig of the refreshing fluid.

"Gah! Whoever invented those things was a sadist!" he coughed as he handed the canteen back to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha chuckled as she patted Jaune on the back, as he tried to clear his throat, "Oh they can't be that bad." she assured just before she drank from her canteen as well.

After a moment she took the canteen from her lips, sighing as she went to screw back on the lid…

Only to notice the stares being sent her way.

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, "What?" she asked, tilting her head as she looked at her fellow initiates.

Jaune too noticed the stares, as the very same gazes were being directed at him, "Uhm…"

"You two shared a canteen." Yang uttered, as her lips began to curl, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

The blond and red haired sword bearers blinked, "Uhm, yeah?" Jaune asked with a noticeably confused tone.

"As in, your lips both touched the canteen." she was now shivering, and although Jaune could not notice, Pyrrha was now visibly flushing, her eyes growing wide.

Jaune only stared with an incredulous look on his face, "Well, yeah, what's so weird about that?"

Yang couldn't hold back the sniggering, as Ruby joined in, along with Nora, while the others just stared with amusement as Pyrrha's hands shot up to cover her face.

Jaune could only stare at his fellow blonde, as he tried to process what was so funny, "What? I don't get what is so hilarious."

Yang finally managed to calm herself, only to begin laughing as Pyrrha removed her hands from her face, "Oh, why don't you ask Cereal Girl here Vomit Boy." she chortled while she stood up, as Jaune's gaze turned to Pyrrha, whose expression had turned to shocked horror.

"Pyrrha, what does she mea-"

"It's nothing!" she squeaked as she shot up to her feet and grabbed his shoulder, "Absolutely nothing!" she said as she began to drag him along.

Jaune blinked as he stumbled, "Wait, but, Pyrrha-" he said as the red haired Mistralian began to drag him off, as the others began to stand up, having finished their own meals, and were now ready to depart.

As Blake leaned over to collect her bags, the others were already beginning to walk towards the path they came up on. Blake wrapped her fingers around the strap of her bag, she suddenly froze, her bow twitching, her nostrils flaring as her eyes became dilated, her head suddenly turning to the side, her gaze focused on the tree line.

Narrowed eyes now focused on the edge, as the branches swayed, despite the lack of any breeze.

The snap of a twig caused her to reach for her weapon, her fingers ready to wrap around the hilt of her blade.

Suddenly, Blake's eyes ceased to dilate, as her hand slowly edged away from her weapon.

Sighing, she grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder, before she cast a single passing glance back to the tree line.

For a moment, it almost seemed like the eerie presence that had been watching them had vanished.

Almost.

* * *

Standing atop the cliffs, Ozpin looked down at his scroll, as he took in all that he had heard, sent to his scroll by the hidden camera's littering the Emerald Forest.

His eyes narrowed, lips curling as he pondered the proclamations of the eight hunters in training, or more accurately, the confessions of Jaune Arc, and his criminal actions to enter into the academy of Beacon.

He had personally looked at the transcripts of each and every student who had entered the academy, which were overlooked by Glynda, and several others. Not one of them even considered the possibility of the transcripts being forgeries. Nothing was out of place, not a line or number even remotely suggested that the transcripts were anything less than legitimate.

Yet, according to one prospective student, that is exactly what they were, forgeries, imitations that were meant to fool the staff of Beacon, and they performed that task flawlessly.

Frowning, he could not help but feel unsure. Regardless of Jaune's admittance, and the seemingly honest confession, there had never once been a forger with enough skill to make a perfect forgery, there was always something wrong with the counterfeit documents.

But when the transcripts of Jaune Arc passed over his desk, he saw nothing, which could mean one of two things. Either there was now a counterfeiter within Vale with enough skill to create seemingly legitimate documents, which opened a plethora of other possibly dangerous scenarios if such documents fell into the hands of more ill willed individuals who found their way into positions where they could do greater harm, or Jaune was lying, but for what reason?

He flicked his thumb over the camera feed, and pressed down on the call function for his scroll, waiting for the ringing on the other line to cease.

Finally, after the third ring, the Scroll showed the face of Glynda, who looked more fatigued than usual, _"Ozpin?"_

The bespectacled headmaster nodded, "Good morning Glynda, I trust you slept well?"

Glynda blinked for a moment, before nodding in affirmation, _"To be honest 'well' is the operative word in this scenario, but overall, I am functional."_ she cleared her throat, _"I trust however this is not a call in regards to my sleep, did something happen?"_ though her tone was flat, Ozpin could detect the barest hint of concern in her voice, as her posture seemed to tense.

Ozpin nodded, "Yes, but all is well, however there is something I require of you."

Glynda blinked again, _"O-oh?"_ she asked slowly, and Ozpin could not help but sigh as he responded.

"I need you to retrieve the transcripts of Jaune Arc, as well as a blank copy of one of our spare forms, and bring them both to my office."

Glynda's gaze turned curious, though only Ozpin could tell, _"Very well, I will make sure to acquire both with haste."_

He nodded back, "Thank you, Glynda."

Glynda nodded back, _"You don't need to thank me sir, I joined Beacons staff for a reason."_ and with that, she ended the call.

Ozpin continued to look down at his scroll, staring at the end call message, his fingers twitching as a breath escaped his lips.

"I know Glynda." he whispered under his breath, as he slid his finger across the scroll to return to the camera feed.

Just in time to see three dark shadows cross the camp site, following the direction his prospective students had gone.

His eyes widened as he froze the frame, and looked closer at the shadows.

The shadows were distinctly bipedal, humanoid, like any human or Faunus.

But they were far too large to be either race.

* * *

An hour had passed since the group of eight initiates left their campsite atop the plateau, swiftly making their way in the direction of the temple, which was thankfully only a few miles away from their location. However, sleep deprivation and other factors such as heat and ascending natural barriers forced them to take several alternate routes to make it to their destination.

By the time they had arrived they were already beginning to feel weary, and the rising sun beating down on the backs of their necks did nothing to alleviate them.

They had made their way to the temple, and found themselves staring at what was left of the remaining relics, which were in the form of Chess pieces, the others having no doubt been taken by the other initiates. Fortunately for them, there were still eight more relics for them to take.

Pyrrha and Jaune had swiftly grabbed a Rook, with Ren and Nora doing the same, which was accompanied by Nora attempting to liven the mood by balancing the Rook on various parts of her body, only for the attempts to launch the Rook into the air and pelt Ren between the eyes, which caused Nora to gush over him like a worried mother hen as she hugged him for dear life, apologizing for hurting him.

Though her hugs were more likely to harm him than the Rook was.

Yang and Blake grabbed a Knight piece, which Yang affectionately dubbed a 'cute little pony' as Ruby and Weiss grabbed a Knight as well, with Weiss giving the piece the stink eye before turning away, as Ruby pocketed the piece, while glancing curiously back at her partner.

After they had retrieved their relics, they began to make their way back to the cliffs.

After what felt like a mile of walking however, they could no longer continue at their pace, and they began to slow down, their movements becoming sluggish as they came upon a small clearing, and finally they chose to sit and rest.

Jaune leaned against a tree as Pyrrha slumped at his side, while Ruby, Weiss, and Yang huddled underneath a nearby tree, while Ren collapsed against another outcropping of what looked like the ruined remains of a temple, though none cared enough to look closer. Blake had joined Yang and Nora…had simply laid down on the forest floor.

Nora grumbled into the dirt, "Ren, how much longer until we reach the cliffs?" she whined as she tried, and failed to roll over.

Ren blinked as he looked up at the sky, and squinted at the sun, "Well, judging by how long we have been walking, a general estimate on how far we were at the temple, and based on how current speed, I am going to guess about, four hours before we reach the cliffs."

Nora groaned as she slapped her hands to her face, "But it's so hot!" she whined as she began to sit up.

Ren nodded, "And it is still early in the day, it will be much hotter throughout the day as we keep moving."

Yang groaned from her position, before turning her gaze to look at Weiss, "Any chance you could spring up some ice dust to cool us down?"

Weiss glanced at Yang with a look that screamed 'are you mental', with Yang only shrugging in response.

"What, it isn't like we'll be fighting any Grimm, since Jaune made the Grimm sit down, there isn't really anything we need to conserve dust to fight against, right?"

Weiss looked back at Yang with a frown, sighing as she looked at Myrtenaster, "Aside from that not being one of the recommended uses for Dust, _ever_ …" she said with extra emphasis on the 'ever' part, "…I don't feel like wasting the dust. Lately dust has been in shorter supply and greater demand due to thefts that have been occurring more often."

Blake looked over at Weiss, her eyes narrowed as she listened in.

Yang pouted at Weiss, "Oh come on, not even a little bitty ice crystal?"

Weiss shook her head, "No Yang, not even a little. Even a small amount of dust is too much to waste, and in the off chance we do have to deal with something that requires us to fight, I don't want to waste what little I brought to Beacon."

Ruby shot her gaze towards Weiss with a befuddled expression, "You had enough Dust brought here to arm a militia, that isn't a 'little' Weiss."

Weiss snapped her gaze to Ruby, who stared back, "Maybe for you, but Myrtenaster is a Dust Rapier, it uses a considerable amount of Dust compared to other Hunter weapons." she sighed as she glanced over her weapon, "It was never a problem to restock before, but with the White Fang stealing more and more shipments from my families Company, even we have to manage what we use carefully, and we have direct access to the product."

Yang bit back a groan, instead huffing as she crossed her arms, "Well that sucks."

As Yang continued to pout, and Ruby moved into try and help her sister's mind get off the heat, Blake quietly sat with her back against a tree. To those around her, she looked as calm and tired as the rest. However, if one looked closely at her, they would notice the bow on her head twitch ever so slightly in different directions, and her nostrils seemed to flare erratically, as if she wasn't breathing normally. She slowly got up, stretching, and casually began making her way over to Pyrrha, who, ever the consummate fighter, was checking her weapons over for any defects or signs of dulling in the weapons edge while her partner stepped behind the bushes nearby. The red haired Mistralian glanced up at Blake as she approached. "Hmmm? Do you need something?"

Blake squatted next to her, as if to engage in a normal conversation, "We're not alone." she said quietly. "Don't react." she added quickly, as she saw Pyrrha about to tense up and look around, "I'm not a hundred percent certain, but I feel like there's something in the woods. Something that's been watching us. It's not a Grimm, I know that much, but it's out there."

Pyrrha nodded quietly at that. "I see…do you know where?"

"I can't be certain…it's like they're around us, in the trees. I don't know how many, or what they are, just that there's something there. We should get moving." Blake said quietly.

"Agreed. We'll give them a few more minutes, then I'll see about getting us moving." she said as Blake nodded, and gave a smile as she stood, "Thank you for the advice Blake. I'll be sure to try it for Milo when we get back to Beacon." she said, acting like she and Blake had been talking about weapons.

Blake just gave a nod and started heading back over to Yang, while Pyrrha went back to checking her weapons over, this time more thoroughly. After ensuring her weapons were primed, she slowly stood up, stretching. "We should get moving." she spoke out to the others, "The sooner we get to Beacon, the sooner we can all get out of this heat." she said, though honestly not minding it so much since it wasn't near the heat of her home of Mistral. Which made her wonder why Nora and Ren were so bothered by it, idly wondering if they lived in one of the cooler areas near Mistral before they went to Bethel academy.

Yang just hopped up with a grin, "Now you're talking. Last one back to Beacon buys the Strawberry Sunrises!" she said, grinning as she headed off, with Ruby running after her sister, whining out her name, while the others began getting up and following suit. Both Pyrrha and Blake however had moved towards the front and rear of the group, so as to keep an eye out for whatever Blake was sensing.

As they moved away from the area, the leaves in the trees rustled, and finally when the group of eight was now out of site of the clearing, the leaves in the trees erupted as two hulking figures landed in the clearing.

* * *

Ozpin stared intently at his scroll, as he browsed through various camera angles, getting different views of the horde of Grimm to see if there was any sign of them reverting to their previous state. One camera feed after another showed the horde at different angles still sitting where Jaune had ordered them to do so. They had not moved an inch since he had commanded them to do so.

The Grimm did not shift in place, not for comfort, or from annoyance as birds and other animals climbed upon them.

Jaune had told them to sit and they obeyed that command single mindedly, which made sense all things considering, but it still posed many unanswered questions.

Ozpin glanced over another feed showing a Beowulf which had become a perch for a flock of crows, before he switched the camera feed and found himself staring at a simple empty clearing. He moved to change the camera feed to get another look at the horde-

However, as he changed the feeds, he caught the briefest glimpse of _something_.

Reacting quickly, he switched the feed back to the previous setting-

'Tssssssst'

Only to find the camera had cut out and had gone to static.

A frown graced his features, switching to the menu on his scroll, pulling up a display labeled 'Camera Status'. As he looked through the feeds, specifically for the feed that had gone to static, he expected to find a notice stating the camera had gone offline.

He had not anticipated the sheer number of camera's that had gone offline however.

No less than thirty camera's were no longer transmitting wirelessly, and given the timeframe with which they had all suddenly cut off, it had all happened at the same time the feed had cut to static.

His frowned deepened, this was highly unusual, one camera ceasing transmission was a common occurrence, and could be fixed quickly, but more than thirty camera's ceasing transmission at once? That was highly unusual.

As he looked closer however, he found that although they were no longer transmitting, they were still recording.

Switching to the call function on his scroll and swiftly making a call, he heard the scroll ring twice before it was picked up, and the face of Peter Port appeared on the screen, _"Why hello Headmaster, what a pleasant surprise, is there any news?"_ his tone started off jovially, before suddenly turning serious.

Ozpin spoke slowly, "Yes, but the news can wait until later. I need you to begin transferring the camera recordings to my office, the feed on several cameras cut out, and I thought I saw something in one of them. It is probably nothing, but I wanted to be sure. The remaining students are on their way back to Beacon. Once they arrive I want you to go into the forest and try and find what caused the feeds to die out, it is somewhere near the northern temple. We will send a repair crew to fix whatever damage was maintained."

Peter nodded, _"Certainly sir, I will get on that right away, however, it will take a bit of time for the transfer to complete."_

Ozpin nodded, "Good then, that will be all Port." the call cut off, as Ozpin looked back towards the forest, a thoughtful expression upon his features.

As his thoughts returned to the camera feed that had suddenly cut out, he envisioned what exactly he had seen in the feed.

Perhaps his eyes had been playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn, for but a moment, he could see the briefest hint of a single shadowed figure.

* * *

The group of eight had continued onward, walking for a great distance, their fatigue inhibiting their motion as they trudged through the forest, sweat dripping from their brow.

Pyrrha swung Milo, cleaving a low hanging branch, as Jaune did the same, clearing their path as they began to enter thicker undergrowth, with the others following close behind.

As Pyrrha and Jaune cut down the barrier in the path before them, Ruby joined in on the 'action' and began to use her scythe to cut a path towards Beacon.

Meanwhile, Yang, Nora, Ren and Weiss awaited, meanwhile, Blake sat off to the side, her eyes scanning the forest, more specifically, for the presence she had felt earlier.

"Could you hurry up?" Blake's attention was briefly caught by the sound of the Schnee heiress, who complained as she wiped sweat from her brow.

Her complains had garnered a more immediate response from her partner, who visibly scowled, her silver eyes twitching as she snapped, "Excuse me if I am being careful with my swings so I don't bring the whole forest down on top of us." she hissed.

Her peripheral vision caught Yang looking back at Ruby in shock, as she felt a frown contort on her lips.

Tempers were high, lack of sleep had ensured irritability, and given Yang's expression, Ruby rarely ever, if at all reacted with anger in the way she had just done to Weiss.

Blake shook her head as she looked away from the scene. It was no concern of hers, not when they were so deep in enemy territory, even if the Grimm had become passive, she could sense somebody, something, watching them.

That sensation had not gone away, no matter how far they walked, no matter how close they got to Beacon and it was beginning to make her incredibly nervous.

"Done!" Blake looked back towards the trio that had opted to use their weapons as gardening instruments, and cleared a path, much to the joy of the others, including herself.

As Weiss sighed in relief, Blake slowly began to stand from her current position-

' _Creeeeek'_

Until her body suddenly froze, as her eyes glanced towards the side, what was that sound?

As Weiss moved towards the new path, Jaune grinned at her, his lips moving, but Blake did not register any of it, even as Yang and Nora loudly congratulated Jaune and Ruby, Blake heard nothing.

All she heard was the eerily familiar noise, she knew it from somewhere, but where?

' _Twang'_

Her eyes shot wide, her pupils dilating, realization springing to life in her eyes as she screamed, "Get down!" she jumped, slamming into the nearest person, who just so happened to be Weiss, throwing her to the ground, as the others reacted.

Ren grabbed onto Nora and pulled her do the ground, as Yang and Ruby fell to the ground.

Pyrrha and Jaune were the last two standing as the red haired Mistralian, through years of practice evaded, dodging to the side as she registered the projectile, her eyes widening as she caught a glance of it as it flew towards Jaune, whose blue eyes were wide. Her lips parted, her eyes growing wide with shock and horror-

'Schink-Twang-Thump'

Before she could scream out his name, the sound of his sheath spreading into a shield drowned out all other sounds as the projectile impacted his shield, before being ricocheted off of the surface, flying upwards, slamming into the higher branches of the nearby oak, his eyes wide as he looked between his shield and the projectile-

No, the arrow.

'Rustle'

As swiftly as they fell, the hunters in training leapt to their feet, and armed themselves as the treeline behind them parted, preparing to face whatever threat stepped forward.

As the trees parted, the eight hunter initiates gazed upon their assailants. Two figures, each taller than any man or woman they had ever seen in their lives, the shorter of the two easily being as tall as one and a half of their tallest comrade. The other stood a head taller than the other, but that alone was not the shocking part of the ones who had so brazenly assaulted them.

No, their height was insignificant compared to their other traits. Each sported skin as dark as the midnight sky of a new moon, their flesh adorned with scars which seemed to have been intently applied if the ornate designs of each curve and slice were anything to consider. Their muscles bulged with a physique one could only find upon a hardened warrior. Upon each of their shoulders, they sprouted spines, which seemed almost feather-like in their motion, as their hands, clawed with talons which sprouted from their hand little different than the claws of Human and Faunus, but the sheen to them belied them as far more deadly than the fragile keratin which made up their own nails.

But their faces, were shocking, for they displayed traits they had never seen on Human or Faunus. They seemed to lack lips, their long pointed fangs slipping out of their jawline, forming an almost sadistic grin beneath their noses, which appeared flatter than normal, or at least their own definition of normal. Their ears were long, and came to a tapered point on each side of their head. The taller of the two sporting a long ponytail which reached far past their posterior, while the shorter of the two had taken its onyx black hair and strung it up into several buns.

But the most shocking aspect of these…creatures, were their eyes.

Their eyes were unlike anything they had ever seen, even in Grimm. Their sclera were a glistening, almost luminescent orange color, while their iris and pupils seemed to merge into a burning white coloration.

The taller of the two reached for its side, and pulled out a long black blade, curved along the edge, almost akin to a masamune, the edge of the blade however seeming serrated at various portions, while the shorter of the two, who held a bow in hand reached behind towards another arrow.

Their gaze promulgating their intent to kill.

* * *

 **An:** Ok, this took WAY longer than either of us anticipated, we actually started on this months ago, but Summer took up a vast majority of our time with other matters needing to be taken care of first. With that said, the next week is more open for this to be written, so, Murphy willing, this should be up a week from Tomorrow if not sooner.

If you have questions or concerns please feel free to leave them in a review, and we will try respond to them in the next update.

 **Please show your support...read, write, review, follow, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons.**

 **Recommendations:** Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Rise of the White Wolf-The White Wulf

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-Legacy-Greatcow

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

I surely will recall more stories that I feel deserve more recognition for the work their authors put in them, but for now, please check out these stories, they are a fantastic read, and deserve more attention than they are getting.


	5. The Anterior Ordeal

**Disclaimer** -Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchblade, or Artifacts in any way, shape, or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and is the creation of Monty Oum...The Darkness, Witchblade, and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice** **:** This story, along with just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon. We will extract elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy rewrite of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts, or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Now, without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

Sorry for the delay, computer is breaking down and a lot of shit hit the fan all at once.

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* * *

The two hulking figures stared at them with murder in their eyes, their desire clear as the eight initiates were faced with their terrifying visage.

The blonde brawler broke out of her stupor before the others, whether out of rage for being accosted, or out of a desire to defend her comrades, they did not know. She sprung forth, her gauntlets cocking back as she launched herself at the towering giants, her eyes filled with intent to injure.

The shorter figure saw her coming, and released his bow string, dodging out of the way of Yang's strikes, just barely, before swinging his free hand, striking her with such force that she was sent flying into the nearest tree.

As this occurred, the taller figure swung back his blade, ready to cleave the now vulnerable blonde in two, before his ears twitched, and he suddenly turned to block a strike from Blake.

His eyes widened a moment, glancing briefly in the place where she had previously been, showing he had paid attention, as he saw what appeared to be a shadow mimicking her fall to pieces, before snarling as he pushed back against her.

Blake did not relent, even as her eyes were widened in shock. He had not only sensed her ambush, he had succeeded in stopping her from delivering what would certainly have been a lethal blow.

The figure swung his blade, Blake barely managed to bring up her own in time to parry the strike, before she moved in.

'Schink-Graaagh!'

Blake leapt back as the figure she had just struck snarled angrily at her, his wound dripping with scarlet blood, while his shorter compatriot suddenly stood in front of him, an arrow in his bow, firing upon her.

She narrowly avoided the strike as she joined her partner, who had swiftly recovered, and was now standing beside the others.

"What the hell?!" Yang yelled, her eyes wide in shock as she threw a punch, a volley of flaming shells careening towards the two figures, who narrowly avoided the explosive strike with such polished and efficient motions, that it spoke widely of their abilities.

These were no novices, the deft nature of their motions showed they were experienced.

The eight hunter initiates saw this, and readied themselves as their opponents focused their attention on them.

Ruby quickly responded, unfolding her scythe, she opened fire upon the taller of the two. As her sniper shots fired, the tall figure narrowly avoided each strike-

'Twang-Twang-Twang'

Before it swung its blade in an inelegant, albeit efficient, pirouette, blocking not one, but three shots from Ruby's rifle, before it suddenly ran towards them.

Ruby's eyes widened as she ripped her scythe from the ground, and swung her weapon, just barely avoiding the nimble and precise strike of her opponent, while his ally fired a volley of arrows upon them.

'Thunk-sching-twang' the sounds of arrows slamming into the wood, ground, and being deflected by metal echoed throughout the clearing, as the shorter figure reached towards another arrow in his quiver.

'Rattatta'

Before he could reach for his quiver, the creature was forced to evade suppressive fire from Ren, who focused his attention upon the bowman, before backing up Ruby and launching a barrage of machine gun fire upon the swordsman, who swiftly evaded the hail of bullets.

As this was happening, Weiss and Nora shot towards the front lines.

Weiss was quick to conjure a glyph, firing upon the two foes, while Nora grinned manically as she fired her grenade launcher towards them. The hulking figures narrowly avoided both, as the projectiles went careening into the forest-

'FWOOM' the sound of the rush of air as the Grenade burst rustled the trees, sending leaves and loose branches falling around them, 'BWOM' and the sound of the Grenade bursting as pink toned dust burst forth, as it clashed with Weiss' ice attacks, sending forth a cacophony of explosive sound as the two warriors appeared to be cut off with no way to escape.

Or so they thought.

The bow wielding opponent rolled away from Weiss' dust strike, grabbing an arrow, and swiftly fired upon Weiss, who barely avoided the strike, while his taller brethren charged upon her, swinging his blade.

'Clang' before the blade could strike, Weiss had swung Myrtenaster upwards, blocking the strike, even as she was pushed back several feet.

"Nora Smash!" the snarling figure snapped its gaze away from Weiss in time for Nora to come charging at it, her grenade launcher transforming into a warhammer, before it struck into them, sending them careening back into their comrade

The two skidded for several feet, before quickly righting themselves, untangling themselves from the other, and sneered with venom upon their foes.

The eight hunter initiates gathered together, and prepared to charge against their opponents.

The swordsman reacted first, leaping upon them and swinging his blade with the force and fury of a blood crazed madman, with the elegance of a dancer, as the hunter initiates barely avoided his strikes, or were forced to dodge them.

Ren smashed the blades of his Stormflower against the beasts long blade, but the force behind the weapon sent him careening back. The beast narrowly avoided a second strike from Nora, before swinging his foot with enough force to nearly knock the air from her lungs.

As this was occurring, the bowman stayed back, watching the battle, his pupils darting back and forth as he watched the melee, two arrows already lined up in his bow string.

Yang and Ruby narrowly evaded a low swing of the swordsmans blade, and both readied to launch an attack into the swordsmans back. Yang cocked back her gauntlets as Ruby cocked the gun in her scythe.

The bowmans eyes widened as he saw the two hunters ready to strike his comrade from behind. With fury in his eyes, he pulled back the strings of his bow, and fired upon the ones who dared to assault their brother from behind!

Yang and Ruby were not prepared for the incoming arrows.

'Tchang-Thunk'

So when they heard the sound of the arrows clashing against steel so close to them, they suddenly stopped their attack, and turned to look in the direction they had heard the noise.

While Ruby and Yang had not seen the incoming projectiles, both Pyrrha and Jaune had. With no regard for their safety, they had leapt to their comrades defense and block the incoming arrows, sending them both flying into the tree line.

The bowmans eyes widened in shock, before he snarled in fury, and reloaded his bow.

Meanwhile, the swordsman had pushed back against Blake and Weiss, and turned its blade upon the four who stood behind it, swinging its blade with such force that they could hear the sound its steel cutting through the air.

Both Pyrrha and Jaune raised their shields in response, and as the blade struck their shields, they felt their feet be lifted off of the ground as they slammed into Yang and Ruby, while the swordsman rushed back to its comrade, holding out his blade, as the bowman reloaded its bow.

Jaune and Pyrrha were pulled back to their feet by Nora and Ren, as Weiss and Blake did the same for Ruby and Yang respectively.

They were tired, far too tired to continue a prolonged fight, not against opponents who clearly had years of training under their belt.

"T-they're…covering each other…"

They all turned to look at Ren, who was breathing heavily, "They a-are specialists, they're focused on a single weapon, a-and they're covering each other. So long as they're together, they will keep outmatching u-us." he wheezed, taking in air as he turned to them, "We need to separate them, divide and conquer."

Jaune looked back at the two opponents, and had he been paying closer attention, he would have seen Ruby do much the same.

As they watched, their minds ran a mile a minute, as they processed their fighting style, their movements-

Simultaneously, two pairs of eyes widened, one blue and one silver, and both pairs looked at each other.

Weiss chose this moment to interject, "How are we supposed to do that, it's not like-"

Jaune cut off her statement, "Pyrrha, Nora and Ren, you and I will take the guy with the sword."

Ruby smirked at Jaune, "You read my mind, Yang, Blake and Weiss, along with yours truly will take the guy with the bow."

"Do you guys have a plan?" Blake cut in, as Weiss looked at Ruby with a small hint of annoyance, while the others regarded them with curiosity, though it was clear that concern polluted that feeling.

Jaune looked at the two hulking figures, who snarled at them as they readied to attack again, he glanced at Ruby who was grinning back at him.

Jaune looked back at the others, smiling, "Just follow our lead."

Suddenly, Ruby snapped her gaze to Weiss and Yang, "Aim between them."

Jaune glanced at Nora and nodded, "You too."

Weiss and Yang were taken aback for a moment, before they realized what the plan was.

Nora had already aimed Magnihild, grinning, "Got it!" her voice dripping with eagerness.

Their opponents were already on the offensive, the Bowman pulling back another arrow, as the Swordsman began to run towards them, as the Bowman fired an arrow upon them.

Pyrrha raised her shield in time to deflect the arrow, as Blake and Ren began to fire on the Swordsman, forcing him to evade their assault.

"Fire now!" Jaune commanded.

Weiss nodded as she spun Myrtenaster, a white Glyph forming as Yang cocked back her Shotgun gauntlets, and Nora aimed Magnihild.

'FWOOM-CRACK-SHRRUUUNG' The sound of Nora's grenade launching through the air was paired with the sound of Yang launching a barrage of shells from her gauntlets as Weiss thrust forth her Rapier, sending a wave of Ice dust forward.

'THRUUUM' the resulting explosion sent patches of earth flying, forcing the bowman and the sword bearer to evade the blast.

The eight hunter initiates were quick to evade, as Jaune and Ruby nodded their head towards their comrades. No words were spoken, but looks of understanding passed across each of their faces, before eight pairs of eyes turned towards their fallen foes as they began to rise.

Jaune and Ruby looked back at each other, and nodded, before each charged towards their opponent, joined by their comrades

The Bowman raised his bow, loaded with twin arrows as he pulled back the string, taking aim at the four huntresses before him.

While the Swordsman reared back his blade as the four hunters charged him, the red haired Grenadier leaping upon him as she cried, "Nora Smash!"

The swordsman reacted swiftly dodging Nora's attack, as the others charged upon him.

Jaune gripped the hilt of his blade and swung it with all his might, his shield arm raised as he swung at the towering beast,

The creature's ears twitched, as it suddenly evaded Jaune's blade, and swung down its own sword upon him.

Jaune's eyes widened as the blade cut towards him, his shield arm moving up 'CLANG' just in time to stop the blade from cleaving him in two.

The beast snarled as it raised its blade while his ears twitched again, his eyes widening a moment before suddenly turning its blade, 'CLUNK' just in time to block a strike from Nora, which sent him hurtling back away from the downed blond.

Jaune stared up at Nora, who was grinning like a maniac, with a vengeful fire in her eyes.

"Jaune!" Jaune's gaze turned to his partner, who quickly got beside him to help him up, "Jaune are you-"

"Look out!" Ren cried out from across the behind them. Pyrrha reacted swiftly, ducking in time to avoid a strike from the beast, as Nora swung her hammer to strike it. It dodged her strike and swung its leg into Nora's side and sent her flying back.

She slammed her hammer into the ground, keeping her from flying further.

The beast hissed as it turned its sword towards Pyrrha while Nora was unable to respond 'CLANG' only to be met with another blade, Pyrrha's emerald eyes glaring back into his crimson pupils. The beast snarled and moved to disengage, only for Pyrrha to charge forward, slamming her shield into his abdomen and send it flying back.

Jaune stared in awe for but a moment before his senses returned to him, quickly rising to his feet as Nora ran back to them, her hammer at the ready as Ren stood beside him, his weapons at the ready, "Let's back her up!" Jaune yelled out as he charged to assist Pyrrha, Ren and Nora doing the same as they shot outward to flank the swordsman as Pyrrha kept it busy.

Pyrrha stepped back to avoid a strike from the warrior, extending Milo into its polearm state, swinging it with enough force that it cracked the side of the warriors jaw before he could evade. The beast moved with the inertia and spun its blade at the Mistralian, who raised her spear up to block the strike, before he moved in to strike at another angle. Pyrrha was forced to leap back to evade the strike, just as Nora charged from behind and swung her Warhammer, the beast dodging it swiftly as the air was displaced from the force of the strike.

'Rattata' the swordsman heard the sound of Ren's machine gun fire, and leapt away from Nora as the Grenadier shifted her hammer into its long range form, a manic grin on her face, "Gotcha!"

'FWOOM' the grenade flew out of the launcher towards the beast, who was avoiding Ren's continuous fire, as the grenade flew towards him, unobstructed.

The swordsman snarled as he evaded the bullets from the green themed warrior, he turned his blade and readied to dodge again, only for his ears to twitch as it felt the vibrations in the air.

Eyes widened for a moment before he reacted, leaping into the air, and twisting his body as the grenade narrowly missed him and went hurtling into the trees, 'BWOM' and erupted into a cloud of pink mist, sending trees toppling over.

Nora's eyes widened, he didn't even see her attack and he dodged it still. Cursing under her breath and shifting her launcher back into its hammer form, she charged forward and swung her hammer back.

Ren saw Nora charging the beast and pointed his weapon at the swordsman, pulling on the trigger 'click' his eyes widened as he looked at his weapons, "Not good."

The creature snapped its gaze towards Ren, a sinister snarl escaping its mouth as it charged towards him.

Ren's gaze shot up, eyes widening as the beast swung its sword in a wide arc. Ren barely managed to duck the blade before the creature slammed its body into him and knocked him over as it raised its sword-

'THWACK' the creature's head shot back, stumbling backwards as Ren's foot collided with its chin, allowing him to get away from the creature.

"Ren!" Nora was by his side in a moment, looking him over while Jaune and Pyrrha joined up

Ren grabbed her shoulder as she began to look him over, "Nora, I'm fine…" he looked down at his weapons, "My firearm function is jammed though." he said shaking the weapon.

They looked up at the creature, who was shaking its head, trying to regain its sense, no doubt the strike Ren managed to deliver had disoriented it.

As Nora helped Ren up, Jaune looked over the swordsman, took in what traits he could.

Throughout the fight, the creature favored its right arm and its physical strength was enough that even blocking a strike could send its opponent hurtling back. However, it was disoriented, meaning that its physiology was similar enough to their own that it could be disoriented in the same way. Its weapon was used for wide strikes clearly, bad option for close quarters.

Jaune's eyes widened as he looked over Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha. Nora's weapon had a wider arc, but Pyrrha and Ren both had weapons that were good in close quarters, Pyrrha also had a shield. Nora may be the only one who had a firearm but it was already clear firearms weren't working on the swordsman.

Jaune glanced at the creature as his vision returned, snarling at the four of them, "Pyrrha, Ren, get in close and hit it from different sides, Nora wait til you see an opening and hit it with everything you've got, try and figure out where it's moving towards so it can't dodge. It's using its right arm more than the left, try and disable that one."

The three stared at him for a second, before they swiftly nodded their heads, turning their gaze towards the swordsman, who was charging at them, swinging his blade in a wide arc.

Ren and Pyrrha acted first, Ren ducked beneath the swing while Pyrrha sidestepped it, using her shield to block the strike, while letting the strength behind the blade strike push her away. Jaune charged in and bashed the creature in the abdomen with his shield, forcing it over for a moment before it swung its left arm, bashing against his shield and sending him back. He managed to catch his footing just as Nora swung her hammer, forcing the creature to dodge the grenadier.

Ren struck the sides of the creature with his own weapons, forcing the swordsman to try and back away.

At the same time, Pyrrha had flanked the creature and swung Milo to strike the creatures side-

Only to suddenly stop as Milo almost struck Ren.

Pyrrha backed off her strike, just in time to see the creature swing its blade towards her.

Pyrrha ducked the blade and rolled forward, and swung Milo again, this time striking the beast in his abdomen. She extended the hilt of Milo and swung-

'OOF' but instead of striking the swordsman with the blunt end of her weapon, her weapon hit Ren, knocking the wind out of him.

The swordsman regained its bearings and seeing the now vulnerable Ren, it swung its blade.

Off to the side, Nora's eyes widened, "Ren!" and she charged forward, only for a blur of blonde to shoot in front of Ren, a silvery shield being raised up, 'CLANG' stopping the blade as Ren was shoved out of the way.

The swordsman stared down at his opponent, whose blue eyes stared back into his with equal intensity as the blonde huntsman swung his own blade, which the creature avoided, jumping backwards as he hissed, his hand pressing on his injuries, shallow cuts nicking his skin.

Pyrrha was already beside Ren, "Oh Gods, Ren I am so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"P-Pyrrha…" Ren wheezed, "It-it's fine, no permanent damage."

Pyrrha did not relent, "If I swung the sharp end of Milo there would be though." Pyrrha protested as Nora ran to Ren's side, while Jaune looked between Pyrrha and Ren, before he looked back at the swordsman.

He had seen what happened, Pyrrha's strike was true, but she hadn't taken Ren into account as she attacked. Which made little sense, Pyrrha clearly knew how to fight, so why did that happen? No answers came to mind, and they did not have time to discuss it, only adapt.

The initial plan wasn't going to work, they needed to adjust tactics. The creature had been wounded, but they needed to finish it, quickly. None of them had enough energy for a prolonged fight, they had to take care of this quickly.

Turning his gaze, "Change of plans, Ren and I will move in to close quarters, Nora will take shots when they are open, when all three of us are out of the way, Pyrrha, you need to move in and hit it with everything you've got."

The three of them nodded, though Pyrrha's affirmation was slower, her eyes glancing at Ren briefly before nodding as well.

Jaune looked back at their foe, who was now holding his blade with both hands, hissing at them with venom in his eyes.

Jaune raised his shield as the swordsman charged at them, "Huraaagh!" Jaune swung his shield as the creature swung his blade, deflecting it as Ren dove behind the beast and struck.

"Graaah!" the creature roared as he swung his arm at Ren, ducking beneath the strike as Jaune swung his sword at the beast, who kept evading the blade.

"Smash!" Nora yelled as she charged at the creature,

* * *

As Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora attacked the swordsman, Ruby and the remaining thee huntress initiates shot at the Bowman, who reloaded his bow and aimed at them.

"Scatter!" Ruby ordered as the arrows were launched, with Ruby and Weiss darting to one side, as Yang and Blake shot towards the other.

Snarling angrily at them, the creature reached towards its quiver, and pulling out another arrow.

Ruby looked in closely, counting the number of arrows left in the bowman's quiver, _'Seven.'_ the number rang inside her head, assuming the creature didn't grab another arrow off of the ground while after it ran out, the creature had seven more shots. However, the creature was clearly strong enough to cause damage in melee.

Her eyes glanced between her allies, they may have only showed their skills briefly, but she was beginning to formulate a plan.

A lightbulb went off in her head as she grinned, "Yang, Weiss, you two distract it while Blake gets in close while I snipe it." she unfurled Crescent Rose and shifted it into its sniper form, readying herself, "Go!" she yelled as she back pedaled, her semblance leaving a trail of rose petals behind her as Blake shot into the trees.

Weiss blinked for a moment, "Wait but-"

"Woohoo!" Yang yelled loudly, startling the Schnee as she shot at the Bowman.

Weiss stared flabbergasted for but a second, "Oh for the love of Gods!" she shot after the brawler as the Bowman turned its attention towards them.

The Bowman snarled and pulled back its bowstring, ready to fire another arrow at the charging blonde-

'Bang-Bang-Bang'

"Graaagh!" the creature roared as its ears twitched, barely avoiding a trio of bullets fired from the tree-line.

"Payback time!" the creatures ears twitched again as he barely ducked a strike from Yang, before Weiss followed up by slashing at him with her rapier.

"Gragh!" the bowman roared angrily as he swung his arm, the force of the strike creating a small gust and blowing Weiss' hair back as Yang stopped behind the beast and launched herself again.

The creatures ears twitch, and it moved to strike at Yang before she could connect her punch-

'Shrung' only for the creature to suddenly feel an intense cold wrap around its lower body, and found itself frozen in place.

Literally.

Weiss had stabbed her Rapier into the ground and sent a wall of Ice Dust at the creature, trapping its legs in place.

Right in time for Yang to-

"BANG!" Yang yelled in tandem as she struck the creature with enough force to cause a noticeable cracking sound as she struck it, as well as shatter the ice that was holding the creature in place, sending it flying back.

As the creature flew through the air, Ruby had unfurled her scythe, and cocked back the pin, grinning as she saw a perfect shot.

'Bang!' Ruby fired her Sniper-scythe, sending her flying forward as the beast continued to fly through the air.

The creatures ears twitched, its eyes widening as it began to twist its body while Ruby swung her weapon.

"Raaagh!" the beast roared painfully as it fell to the ground 'Thump' a resounding thump occurring next to his head as he looked to his side.

His right arm now severed from his body.

He clutched his bleeding stump painfully as the blood spurt from where his arm had once been, growling angrily as pain wracked his body.

"Ruby!" the creatures gaze turned away from his limb and turned to regard the one which had wounded him.

The one who had _taken_ from him.

Ruby panted heavily as she felt her arms strain to hold the weight of her scythe, as Yang, Blake and Weiss crowded around her as she began to stumble.

Blood dripping from her scythe.

"Ruby, are you alright?" Yang demanded more than asked as she looked over Ruby.

Ruby looked up at yang and nodded, "Y-yeah, just, a lot more tired than I thought."

Blake glanced at the creature as it began to stand, "We can't keep going for long, it is wounded, let's finish it now and go help the others."

Weiss nodded her head, "I concur." she readied Myrtenaster and turned to look at the creature-

"Raaaagh!" suddenly, the one armed creature roared as it finally stood upon its own two feet, glaring at the four of them with such hatred in its eyes that they seemed to pop out of its skull, glowing with a brighter crimson fire in its eyes as it removed its hand from is bleeding stump, reaching into a pouch on its side, and pulled out a black powder, which it began to squeeze between its fingers.

Blake and Weiss shot at the creature, ready to finish it off-

'FWOOSH' only for the creatures hand to suddenly catch ablaze, and threw the fire at them.

Silent gasps escaped both their lips as they were forced to roll out of the way of the fire, which continued towards Yang and Ruby.

The two sisters ducked out of the way, narrowly missing the flames.

The creature looked at its opponents as the fire continued to burn in its palm, wincing as it felt the flames lick at his flesh, before he turned his attention towards the stump on his arm-

And slammed the fire into it, "GRAAAH!" the beast roared in agony as the fire forcibly cauterized the wound, as his opponents pushed themselves back to a standing position.

Their eyes were all wide as they saw how quickly the creature had reacted to the loss of a limb, almost no hesitation, as if a scenario such as this had been drilled into its head.

The creature hissed hatefully at them, as its now burnt hand wrapped around one end of its bow, "Raagh!" roaring as it launched itself at Weiss.

Weiss' eyes widened a moment before she ducked the ranged-turned melee weapon, "OOF!" just in time for the creature to kick her with enough force to send her flying back.

'Bang-Bang' Blake got off two shots before the creature turned its gaze to her, and it flew upon her like a man possessed, swinging its bow with such force that when it struck the ground as she jumped away, it embedded itself into the earth.

Yang launched at the creature as Ruby ran to Weiss' side, cocking her fist back.

The creature's ears twitched and it swung the bow upward, bringing with it a flurry of dirt which hid it from sight and blinded Yang momentarily. Long enough for the beast to swing its bow into her face, launching her back as she instinctively fell into a roll, coughing as she spat dirt out of her mouth, which had now become mixed with blood.

Spitting the filth from her mouth she looked up as the creature suddenly turned its attention on Ruby, who was still helping Weiss, "Ruby!" she yelled, as her eyes lit up with fury, the purple in her eyes turning crimson as she shot to her feet.

The creature's gaze was focused on the red hooded girl who had severed his arm, his eyes burned with fury as he swung back his arm, tightening his grip around the bow limb, he swung his arm, intent on caving in the girls skull-

'Bang-Zip' only for his arm to suddenly stop as a weight settled around it, keeping him from moving his arm further.

"Gragh!" the creature snarled, a hissing of unknown words spilling from his lips as he beheld his arm, and the black ribbon wrapped around it.

Snapping his gaze towards the one holding the ribbon, he saw the black clothed girl with amber eyes stare at him, holding onto the ribbon as she pulled, keeping him from his vengeance.

The creature snarled as he yanked on his arm, forcing the girl off her feet as he moved to finish off the red cloaked whelp.

"Back off!" the creature felt pain erupt as its bones cracked from the force of Yang's punch, sending it flying back as Blakes weapon unfurled from its arm. Yang sneered at the creature as Weiss and Ruby got to their feet, with Weiss clearly looking worse for wear.

Ruby's eyes narrowed as she looked at the creature as it snarled while it tried to get to its feet. Her plan worked, sort of, they managed to take an arm, but even without its arrows it was dangerous in close quarters. They couldn't even use range to their advantage because it just kept dodging, their only chance was to get up close and personal.

As the creature got to its feet, it hissed at them with hatred, its eyes burning with fury, stumbling as it moved.

Ruby's eyes widened, "That's it!" she glanced at Blake, "Keep it from swing, Weiss…" she glanced at the heiress, "Freeze its feet again, Yang…" her eyes snapped at her sister, "Help Blake keep its arm pinned."

Weiss glanced at Ruby, her eyes shifting to look at the creature, "What about you?"

Ruby clicked the pin on her sniper-scythe, "I'll finish it."

Yang grinned, slammed her fists together, "That's my little sister!"

The creature snarled as it charged at them, its arm held back as it roared, "Graaagh!"

While the four huntresses scattered, reloading their weapons as they put Ruby's plan into motion.

* * *

The swordsman ducked Nora's hammer as it swung its blade, which was blocked by Jaune's shield, pushing him back as Ren closed in and struck the beasts sides, "Gragh!" the monster swung at Ren, who barely avoided the strike as Jaune swung his sword, which the creature evaded before swinging its arm, slamming it against Jaune's shield and sending the blond flying.

The creature snarled as it turned to move in on the downed blonde, only for its ears to twitch as it suddenly spun, blocking a strike from Pyrrha, who began to swing her blade in a lethal dance, aiming for any opening she could find, which the creature was quick to cover.

Pyrrha shifted her sword into a spear, and swung it in a wide arm as an opening presented itself.

The beast leapt back, just enough to avoid a lethal strike, but not enough to evade the speartip entirely as it cut through its abdomen, "Grrn!" the creature snarled as it clutched its stomach, blood seeping out of the shallow wound.

Its ears twitched again, and it ducked beneath the wide and powerful strike of Nora, who followed up with a kick, smacking her foot into the creatures face, sending it twisting as Ren and Jaune closed in.

Jaune charged the creature, slamming his shield into its abdomen, as he rose up his sword and swung.

Only for the creature to narrowly avoid the blade, before striking Jaune, knocking his shield from his grip while Ren shot behind the creature and swung the blades on his weapon.

The sound of metal cutting into flesh echoed in the clearing, "Graagh!" the creature roared in pain as the blades dug deep into its back, barely missing what was presumably its spine.

Ren gripped his Stormflower weapons tighter as he moved to try and sever the spine-

"Oof!" only to be knocked back as the creature suddenly kick him, causing him to lose his grip on his weapons, and slamming into a tree.

"Ren!" Nora cried out, her eyes filling with worry, before their gaze shifted to the creature and her lips turned into a snarl as her pupils dilated with rage.

Gripping Magnihild tighter, she launched herself at the beast, aiming for Ren's weapons still in its back intending to drive them in deeper to finish it off.

The beasts ears twitched as it turned its head, snarling, its grip tightened on the hilt of its sword as it swung the blade at Nora's incoming weapon.

'CLANG' the sound of the creatures blade smashing into Nora's hammer echoed throughout the clearing as the beast began to rapidly swing at Nora, 'Clang-clang-clang' the cacophony of metal upon metal echoing forth.

Nora swung her hammer at the creature, blocking the strikes as they came.

The creature slammed the blade into the hilt of her hammer, and pressed against her, pushing her back.

Nora groaned as the beast pushed its blade down upon her, she Magnihild tightly as she moved to-"Oof!" the creature had stopped any intended strike by swing his foot out, slamming into her abdomen, knocking the wind from her lungs.

The creature hissed, bringing its blade back as Nora began to fall over, "Gragh!" roaring as it swung downwards.

'CLANG' only for its blade to be forcibly parried as Pyrrha's shield slammed against his blade, "Heah!" as Pyrrha smashed the hilt of her spear into the creatures face, sending him spinning as her shield slammed into a tree, forcibly embedded into it as she struck at the creature.

Her emerald eyes burned with unbridled fury as she swung Milo about, the creature barely blocking her strikes before she followed up and attacked from a different angle.

A lower swipe block by a downward strike, before she spun and slammed the staff into its shoulder, the creature roared as it swung its blade upward, she dodged and swung the blade of her spear before shifting it into a sword and driving it towards the creature.

As the dance of blades carried on, Jaune coughed as he got to his feet, using his sword as a crutch to push himself up. His eyes shifted as he heard the clashing of metal and grunts of exertion, and he beheld the creature and Pyrrha fighting.

The creature swung its blade, which was blocked by Pyrrha, who twisted her staff and slammed the butt of her spear into the creatures wounded abdomen, before she spun the spear around, collapsing it into a short sword and swinging at the beast.

The creature responded by batting the blade away, cutting its forearm, before it wrapped its fingers around Pyrrha's throat, squeezing as he lifted her off of the ground, and slammed her back into it.

Jaune's eyes shot open, and before he could even comprehend what he was doing, he charged at the creature, his sword held aloft as he brought it back.

The creature's gaze was focused on Pyrrha as he raised his blade, pointed downward, aiming at Pyrrha's face.

It's ears twitched, and it snapped its gaze to the side, as Jaune charged upon him, his blade held high as he swung.

The creature snarled, letting go of Pyrrha's throat as he swung his blade.

The two blades met 'Clank-Scrink' and red eyes widened as they beheld the result.

And the broken blade in their hand.

Jaune twisted his wrist as the creature turned towards him, "Ragh!" Jaune yelled as he struck forth.

Slamming Crocea Mors through the monsters chest and right out of its back.

The beast stood still, as pain ripped through its body, blood spilling out of its chest and back.

Pyrrha's eyes were wide, as she saw Jaune tighten his grip on the blade, as he twisted his body, forcing Crocea Mors to carve through the Monsters flesh, slicing through its abdomen as Jaune tore is sword out of the monster through its side.

The creature fell backwards, gasping and wheezing, staring up at Jaune, it gurgled, its arm outstretched.

The blond panted as he held his sword backup, "Gaaaah!" and swung it back down into the monsters head.

Splitting its skull and brain matter.

* * *

The creature swung its bow at Blake, who narrowly avoided the strike before swinging the blade of her sword, which the creature barely blocked with its bow.

Weiss struck and swung Myrtenaster, a wave of ice shooting towards his feet.

The creature saw the incoming ice out of its peripheral vision, and leapt aside as her swung his foot at Blake, forcing her to dodge.

'Bang!' the creature roared angrily as he felt his skin sear as Yang's shotgun gauntlet blasts slammed into its side, as he swung his bow, barely clipping Yang, who used the momentum to perform a follow up strike and slam her fist into its abdomen, sending it hurtling back into a tree.

Weiss spun Myrtenaster, and swung the blade, creating a row of glyphs, and a row of ice burst forth, and shot towards the creature.

The creature moved to evade, but yang's strike had caused it to become sluggish, preventing it from escaping as the ice dust wrapped around its legs, keeping it in place.

'Bang-Zip' the creatures ears twitched as a familiar sound resounded and it felt Blakes weapon wrap around its sole remaining arm, "Gragh!" it snarled as it began to tug.

At that exact moment, Yang grabbed onto the ribbon, pulling back, keeping the creature from throwing them off balance.

'Crack' the creatures eyes snapped to its side as it heard the gunshot…

Just as it felt the tip of Ruby's scythe bury itself into its chest, tearing through with enough force that the ice shattered as Ruby slammed into it, sending it slamming into the dirt, as Ruby stood upon it, her scythe buried in his chest.

It reached its hand outward, hissing as it tried to grasp onto Ruby.

'Click-Crack' only for Ruby to pull the trigger on her weapon, forcing the blade to carve clean through the creature, bisecting its body.

* * *

His shoulders bobbed up and down, as he took in one breath after another, filling his lungs with air, even as the iron stench of blood wafted into his nostrils.

Jaune slowly pulled on the sword, tugging it from the head of the creature who he had just slain, his blade carving through the gore as he pulled the blade from the monsters head. The corpse fell over, the blood flowing from the skull and the gaping wound Jaune had torn in its side.

Pyrrha stared in shock, her hands fumbling as she tried to stand, staring at Jaune, who simply bore his gaze into his blade, now soaked with the blood of that creature, his chest expanding and receding with each breath.

"I-I…" Pyrrha heard him stammer, his fingers loosening their grip on the hilt as he began to fall to his knees.

"Jaune." she ran to his side, grasping onto his shoulder as her arm wrapped around his chest. She held onto him as she kept him standing, "Jaune, it's alright, it's over."

"I…killed…" he whispered, his breathing quickening as Pyrrha held him, his body quivering.

Pyrrha's eyes were wide, her pupils dilated as she saw him beginning to fall into another panic attack.

Her mind raced with what she had seen Yang and Weiss do, her body reacting as she held him against her, her other hand gently grasping his chin, forcing him to look at her, pressing her forehead against his.

She felt her heart race as she saw the look in his eyes, wild, so close to breaking.

Yang's voice echoed in her mind, _"Shhh, shhh, just breathe with me, can you do that for me Jaune?"_

Pyrrha gulped a deep breath of air, "Shhhh…" Pyrrha whispered her warm breath tickling Jaune's cheeks, "…shhhh, easy, just breathe with me Jaune, can you do that for me Jaune?" Pyrrha spoke, reciting what yang had said almost word for word.

Jaune's eyes shifted, if only slightly, she felt him take in a breath, a low cough escaping his lips.

Pyrrha swallowed the dryness in her mouth, and took another breath.

Jaune matched her rhythm, and she saw his pupils begin to steady, his body slowed in its shaking.

Pyrrha smiled, "Good, you're doing good Jaune, now let it out." she said slowly.

Jaune did as he was told, his body's shaking had nearly stopped as his eyes became steady.

A few minutes had passed, and Jaune and Pyrrha stayed there, as Pyrrha did what she could to prevent him from succumbing to his panic.

Nora and Ren had risen, each holding the other up as they watched and waited.

Finally, Jaune took in a breath, his gaze shifting to look at the creature, as Pyrrha watched him carefully.

Jaune swallowed, and he stuttered, "I…I killed it." he said slowly, in disbelief of what he had done.

Pyrrha nodded her head, "Yes, but you saved me in doing so." she watched as Jaune glanced to look into her eyes, her lips curved in a gentle smile, "You saved all of us Jaune, don't forget that."

Jaune blinked, staring at Pyrrha, before a small smile came to his lips, "Y-yeah." he took in a deep breath, "Come on, let's go help the others." he stood up, and walked forward-

"That won't be necessary." Jaune stopped as he heard Ren speak, and he turned to look at him, staring off to the side.

Jaune glanced to the direction Ren was staring.

Walking towards them, was Weiss and Blake, while Ruby and Yang walked side by side, with Yang's arm over Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby's eyes were puffy and red, and she was biting her lower lip.

Jaune slowly moved forward, "Hey, you all made it." he said with a smile as Pyrrha walked up to his side, while Nora and Ren stumbled up behind them.

Weiss and Blake stepped up to the group of four, as Yang held Ruby and lingered behind, whispering softly into her ears.

Jaune looked past Weiss and Blake at the sisters, "What happened?"

Weiss looked back at Ruby, who was clinging to Yang, before she sighed, "She killed the monster, didn't take it well." she looked back at Jaune, "She's killed Grimm before, but those things weren't Grimm."

Blake chose that moment to cut in, "Killing Grimm is easy, but an actual living thing is another matter." she looked back at her partner, "It never gets easier either unle-" Blake stopped herself and shook her head, "Nevermind, are you four alright?"

They nodded, "Yeah, a little banged up, but otherwise alright." Pyrrha mentioned as Weiss looked past them at the corpse of the creature, and looked at Jaune's blood stained sword.

"Did Jaune-"

"Yes, he did." Pyrrha cut off Weiss, her tone was sharp, but there was a tone of desperation behind it.

Weiss' eyes met Pyrrha's, nodding in understanding, "Later then." she said as Yang and Ruby moved closer to them, as Ruby slowly separated from Yang.

Blake turned to regard the creatures, her eyes narrowing, a thousand questions passing through her mind.

What were those things? She had never seen or even heard of anything like them before.

Her eyes shifted to their darker complexion and their crimson eye, one would think them some sort of Grimm. But they bled, they had clear higher intelligence, and they wielded weapons and tools.

It seemed unlikely they were Grimm, but if not Grimm, what were they?

She moved to turn to the others, when her posture suddenly stiffened, her pupils dilated and her bow twitched as her eyes widened.

'Crack' the sound of breaking branches was loud, loud enough to draw the attention of the others.

The cracking branches grew louder, the rustling of leaves became apparent.

'Crack-Fwoosh' all of a sudden, the branches in the trees parted, and a tall menacing figure ripped through, branches flying as the figure crashed into the ground, its feet tearing through the dirt and soil as it stood before them.

The eight students stared in shock and fear as they beheld the figure before them.

It was another of those creatures, the same onyx skin and crimson eyes and pointed ears, but this one was a full head taller than the other two, and its body was littered in scars, it held a hatchet in one hand, a curved handle with a single curved axe blade on one end, and what looked to be beads wrapped around the length of the handle.

The creature looked upon them, before its gaze snapped to the side, as it stared at the body of the creature Jaune had slain.

Its eyes became wide, its face contorted to one of horror, its free hand reaching towards the deceased warrior, before its gaze snapped to the eight youths before it.

More specifically Jaune, or rather, his sword.

The beasts face twisted in fury, its fury clear in its eyes as it beheld the slayer of one of its own, "Graaagh!" the monster roared as it charged at them, faster than they could respond.

The beast swung its free arm, smacking aside Nora and Ren as it clipped Pyrrha, smashing the butt of its axe into Jaune's stomach, throwing him onto his back.

Yang attacked the beast, only to be struck by the creature with such force and speed that Yang was sent flying back into Ruby, who barely managed to catch her before falling over.

The creature snarled at Jaune, raising its axe to strike him down, before Blake and Weiss attacked it, forcing it to kick the white haired heiress into the black themed huntress.

Jaune tried to stand, only for the creature to suddenly grab him by the leg and hoist him up with such force that Jaune's sword fell from his grip, the creatures grip tightening around his leg as it snarled, raising its axe high.

Jaune's eyes were wide as the beast swung the axe-

"Crash- **Scraaach!"**

The creatures motion suddenly stopped as an immense sound erupt from the clearing, shifting his gaze-

Just in time to see a white claw slam into him, releasing Jaune from his grip.

As Jaune fell to the ground, he looked up, and saw a multitude of limbs rise over him, and fall towards him.

Gasping, he held out his arms, 'Slam' only to freeze as the legs slammed into the dirt around him, purposefully avoiding him as they scuttled over him.

The creature screamed in a guttural roar as the white claw wrapped around his abdomen, squeezing so tightly it could feel its bones begin to crack, before it was slammed into a tree, the claws still squeezing into him as he roared in pain.

Jaune sat up, staring in shock, _'W-wha…'_ he was silent as he beheld the sight before him.

A Deathstalker, more massive than the one he had commanded earlier was now attacking the creature, slammed it repeatedly into the tree, shrieking a horrible tune of anger and hate as its tail reared back.

The creature felt blood pass its lips, the claws and the bashing against the tree forcing blood into its lungs.

The Deathstalkers tail reared back, and swung forward.

The creatures eyes widened as a piercing sensation entered its chest as its bones were forcibly parted, the stinger of the Deathstalker ripping through bone and flesh and entering into the tree behind him.

With a sickening rip and tearing of flesh and cracking of bones, the stinger was removed from the creature, who was then unceremoniously dropped by the Deathstalker.

The initiates had watched in shock and morbid fascination as they saw the Deathstalker, the Grimm, their _enemy_ , come to their rescue.

Did that qualify as irony?

Their internal musings were interrupted as the Deathstalker turned towards them, and began to scuttle towards the blonde swordsman whose life it had saved.

Jaune couldn't find it in him to turn away as the creature stopped in front of him, before settling on its haunches, or whatever it was Deathstalker possessed, and lowered itself to stare at Jaune.

A minute passed before the others began to move, as Jaune kept looking at the Deathstalker in shock.

Yang leaned down next to Jaune and whispered, "Hey Jaune, think you can get our savior to save us a walk?"

* * *

Ozpin stared at his scroll, switching through the feeds, as he awaited Port's report.

Finally, as if my magic, his scroll came to life with an incoming call. Swiping his finger across the screen, he looked at the face of Peter Port, "Port, did you-"

" _Ozpin, you'll want to see this."_ he said slowly, his voice showing the seriousness of his words as he held up his scroll to show Ozpin the camera feed being transmitted to his office, displayed on his personal desk display.

Ozpin's eyes widened as he saw the recording.

" _Ozpin, what are those?"_ Peter questioned as he turned the scroll's camera back to him.

Ozpin looked back at Port, his lips parted as he answered, "I…I don't know."

* * *

 **Please show your support...read, write, review, follow, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons.**

 **AN:** Ok, THIS took a lot longer than I planned, unfortunately I do not get paid to write fanfiction, so I need to work for a living in order to keep a roof over my head so I can continue to write fanfiction, which takes up a considerable length of time. In addition, my computer is breaking down, as in literally falling apart physically, seems are breaking and everything.

Now to answer Questions:

1\. Were those minions of The Darkness: No, they are not minions of The Darkness.

2\. What were those things?: Spoilers, but a race Leaf Ranger and dracohalo117 came up with for this story. Guess the inspiration behind them.

3\. Why was Pyrrha incompetent?: Pyrrha was not incompetent, but rather, we are exploring a different side to Pyrrha that we haven't seen done in fanfiction before.

4\. Why did the Grimm save Jaune?: The Grimm sensed Jaune was in danger and came to his rescue...guess what fun will be had?

5\. Why didn't Ozpin know what they were?: Because Ozpin is not an all seeing, all knowing, super ancient wizard here who has knowledge over everything that ever has been, is, or will be, he is a human here, a Huntsman, not a God.

 **Recommendations:** Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Rise of the White Wolf-The White Wulf

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-Legacy-Greatcow

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

I surely will recall more stories that I feel deserve more recognition for the work their authors put in them, but for now, please check out these stories, they are a fantastic read, and deserve more attention than they are getting.


	6. The Return and Inauguration

**Disclaimer:** Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchlade, orArtifacts in any way, shape or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and is the creation of Monty Oum…The Darkness, Witchblade and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice:** This story, and just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon, we will be extracting elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Now without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

Also please check out the **polls** on dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger's profiles.

 **Please show your support...read, write, review, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons...**

* * *

Yang's suggestion had taken them all by surprise, especially Jaune, who now stared at her with a look that expressed the magnitude of confusion and shock at Yang's statement, "Yang, are you kidding me?" his voice cracking as his eyes shot open widely.

Yang shook her head, smiling, "Nope, not joking."

Jaune continued to stare at her, "But, Yang, it's a Grimm." he said pointing at the Deathstalker, who still sat their docile, staring at Jaune.

Yang nodded her head as the others inched closer, looking at the Deathstalker, while Weiss and Pyrrha walked towards Yang, "You are right, but, that isn't a problem, because one of us can tell our scuttling savior to give us a ride back to Beacon."

Jaune looked between Yang and the Deathstalker, while Pyrrha grabbed Yang by the arm and pulled her aside, as Weiss leaned down next to Jaune, "Yang, Jaune almost had a panic attack from killing that creature. Having him tell a Deathstalker to give us a ride, when him commanding them is what caused him to go into a panic attack in the first place doesn't seem like the best idea to me." Pyrrha's tone was sharp as Yang crossed her arms.

"His semblance is commanding Grimm, he is going to have to learn to deal with that, like it or not. This is a perfect chance for him to start." Yang said matter of factly, as she tilted her head to Jaune, "Well, near perfect anyways.

Pyrrha glanced at Jaune, who was talking with Weiss as the others looked at the Deathstalker and the dead creatures, "How do you know this is the best course of action."

"Personal experience Pyrrha." Pyrrha's gaze shifted to Yang, whose gaze was fixed on Jaune, "When I first used my semblance I accidentally set the forest on fire. Luckily it was raining and the firemen got to it in time, but after that I did everything I could to avoid using my semblance." she chuckled, "I avoided sparring classes, ran from bullies, you name it. For a while I actually had the reputation of a coward." her eyes shifted as she looked at Pyrrha, "But one day I had to face my fears, and let me tell you from personal experience, it is better for Jaune to face his fears now, rather than wait until they get their hooks too deep into him."

Pyrrha looked back at Jaune, an expression of uncertainty passing over her features, "But what if he isn't ready?" she continued to look at Jaune as Yang placed a hand on her shoulder, and sighed.

"Nobody is ever ready to face their fears, Pyrrha. If we were, then we wouldn't be afraid to face them."

Pyrrha's gaze remained on Jaune, before she sighed and turned to Yang, "Alright, you may be right."

Yang grinned in response, "Of course I am right Pyr…besides." she groaned as she walked towards Jaune, "I am so tired." she stumbled forwards and began to talk to Jaune.

Pyrrha could only sigh, a smile coming to her lips.

Even as her fist clenched behind her back.

Yang kneeled next to Jaune and smiled, "So, how's about it Vomit-boy, think you can get our savior to schlepp us to Beacon?"

Jaune began to scratch the back of his head, "W-well, only one way to find out."

Yang grinned, "Awesome, I call shotgun!"

Weiss frowned at Yang as the blonde climbed onto the Deathstalker, "It's a Grimm not a minivan."

Yang smirked, "You mean a-OOF!" Yang was suddenly slammed into by Nora.

"I don't know what type of pun you think you can make out of that but nobody wants to hear it!" Nora yelled as she began to shake Yang rapidly.

"I g-get i-it-would you stop that!" Yang suddenly yelled as she tried to pry Nora off of her.

Weiss rolled her eyes as she watched the duo, climbing onto the Deathstalker, "Oh for Gods sake, Ren help me please!" she yelled out at the only other male besides Jaune, who quickly began to head towards them, albeit limping.

As Jaune watched Weiss and Ren pry Yang and Nora off each other respectively, Pyrrha walked up behind Jaune and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Jaune, if you're not up for this, we won't force you."

Jaune turned his head to Pyrrha, a low breath escaping his lips as he reached up to scratch the back of his head, "I know, but we're all tired Pyrrha and it is only gonna get worse in terms of weather. I don't like this, but the alternatives really aren't better."

Pyrrha looked back at the Grimm, as Blake and Ruby climbed onto it, with Ruby handing Yang some ice she had broken off of Weiss' dust attacks, making Yang hug Ruby between her breasts, much to the younger girls chagrin, while the others watched in amusement.

Pyrrha gently squeezed Jaune's shoulder, "If you're willing to do this, then ok."

Jaune smiled, "I suppose that is one way of putting it." he nodded his head to the Grimm, "Come on, we should get moving." he stepped forward, Pyrrha's hand letting go of his shoulder as they climbed atop the Grimm.

After the eight initiates had settled themselves on the massive Deathstalker, Jaune coughed and looked around, "So, which way is Beacon?"

Blake pointed to their right, "That way."

Jaune blinked in response, "Ah, ok then, so…" he looked down at the Deathstalker, "Uhm, turn right."

The Grimm chittered as it did as commanded.

And didn't stop.

"Aaaah!" The Grimm had immediately began to move its legs to turn right, but instead of stopping in the direction they needed to go, it kept spinning and spinning until the eight initiates were clinging to the cracks in its armor.

"Jaune, make it stop!" Yang yelled as she felt her stomach begin to churn.

Jaune could only yell back in response as he clung to the face of the Grimm, covering its eyes, "O-ok, s-stop!"

The Grimm did as commanded and immediately stopped.

Sending the eight hunter initiates flying off of the Deathstalker, slamming into the forest floor.

A few seconds had passed, before they all began to push themselves up from the ground, Weiss spit dirt and grass from her mouth, as Ren and Nora were in a tangled mess, both groaning in pain. Ruby had shot to her feet, but immediately regretted it as all the blood rushed from her head and she fell back over.

Blake groaned as she sat up, looking at Jaune who had landed next to Yang, groaning painfully, "Ok, maybe we need to be clearer on the orders."

"You think?!" Weiss shouted from her position as she was pulling grass from her mouth, gagging as she spat up more dirt.

Jaune groaned as he sat back up, reaching over to shake Yang, "Y-Yang, you alri-"

"Hurrragh!" was Yang's response, as she suddenly vomited all over the ground, sputtering as she desperately tried to keep her hair from getting puked on.

"Gah!" Jaune shot up as he attempted to get away, only to end up slipping in some of the vomit, and landing flat into the dirt all over again.

Pyrrha had finally gotten to her feet as she stumbled and tried to help Jaune up, "Ok, so, that wasn't awful."

"Yes it wa-Guuuh!" Yang responded as she continued to vomit.

Pyrrha frowned before sighing, "Ok, but it's alright, maybe next time just think of it like driving a car?"

Jaune stared up at Pyrrha, tilting his head, "Uhm, I hadn't been in a car since I got to Vale."

"Fuck!" Yang yelled out, before she returned to vomiting.

"Language Vomit-girl!" Nora shouted from across the clearing.

* * *

Ozpin stared at the camera feed on his scroll, Peter holding his scroll so Ozpin could view the recordings

No matter how much he saw, he still couldn't believe it.

In his life time, he had seen all manner of things, things that at one point he had deemed improbable, if not impossible, but those things, never before had he seen anything like them. They were humanoid, but every other aspect was unlike anything he had ever seen in Human or Faunus, past or present. Their weapons, the markings, their fighting style.

How could such things escape his notice, escape the notice of the four kingdoms?

He cleared his throat, "Peter…" the camera feed shifted, and Ports face was revealed, "… I want you to back up everything in a separate file, afterwards you are to prepare to enter the forest and fix whatever it was that cut the feed, afterwards I need you to retrieve the corpses of those creatures. Professor Peach will want samples for study. Be on your guard, we only saw three of those entities but that does not mean there won't be more."

Peter nodded in agreement, "I will be on constant guard Ozpin." the call ended abruptly, no doubt Peter was already on his way to acquire his repair tools and weapon.

Ozpin swiftly slid his finger to the call function again, the scroll ringing for but a moment before the face of Glynda Goodwitch appeared on the screen, "Glynda, what is the status of the students?"

Glynda pushed up her glasses, revealing the bags under her eyes, "The students have almost completely exhausted their ammunition, but otherwise all are safe." she looked down, examining the clipboard in her hand, "Additionally, twelve additional initiates successfully arrived back at Beacon."

Ozpin hummed softly to himself, "Who is amongst them?"

Glynda looked over the form, "The first group was composed of Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark." she looked down at the form, "The other eight I have not had a chance to acquire names from; I was actually on my way to welcome them back when you called."

Ozpin frowned, "Was Jaune Arc amongst them?"

Glynda was silent for but a moment, "Ozpin, if Jaune had been amongst them you would have been the first to know. Likely he and the others with him are still on their way."

The white haired headmaster nodded his head, "Right, I suppose that would be the case." he took a shallow breath, sighing, "As you were." Ozpin pressed the button to end the call, and slid his finger across the screen again to the camera feeds, and opened up the feed, scrolling through the ones that were still online.

His eyes tracked the feeds as he kept looking for any sign of the eight initiates who had been at the center of this debacle.

He kept swiping his finger, one feed after another, until finally it froze as he opened a single feed showing the very eight students who he had been searching for.

Riding a Deathstalker.

His fingers clenched as he looked at the video before him, his finger idly sliding towards a single button on his scroll.

Record.

* * *

The youths had managed to successfully get back onto the Deathstalker, as Jaune tried to get the Grimm to do as it was told, a few trees had been crushed in the attempt.

Yang gripped tightly onto the creatures shell, "How is it that this thing is so clumsy when the horde was so precise?"

Ren grabbed onto the Deathstalkers tail as the Grimm lurched, "The Horde was responding to an unconscious order, for whatever reason they do what they are told and nothing more."

Weiss chose this moment to cut in, "There were similar problems when developing Atlas robots, if it wasn't programmed properly it was going to execute an order and nothing else."

Ruby stared at Weiss with a curious gaze, "So, Grimm under Jaune's command appear to be like robots?"

Weiss sighed as she tightened her grip on the shell, "I don't know, it looks that way, we know so little about the Grimm as is, the rules have changed with Jaune's sembla-"

"Right one step!" Jaune suddenly shouted at the Deathstalker, making it shift suddenly to the right.

"Aah!" Weiss yelled as she nearly fell off before Ruby grabbed onto her arm and hoisted her back up. Weiss grabbed onto the shell again, before turning back to Jaune, frowning.

Jaune looked back apologetically as Weiss glared softly at him, "S-sorry, Weiss, I'll make it up to you."

Weiss frowned further, with a raised eyebrow as the others watched the ordeal, "How?"

Jaune nervously scratched the back of his head as the Deathstalker trodded through an open field, "Well, maybe I can take you out on a date or something? A movie and maybe some dinner?"

Weiss sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Jaune, I am not interested."

Jaune's face twisted in confusion, blinking as he processed her words, "But at orientation you mentioned cute boys and then pointed to me." he mentioned in confusion.

Weiss groaned as the others watched on, having gained a steadier footing now that the Deathstalker was on even terrain, "Jaune, I was being sarcastic."

There was an air of silence as Jaune looked away, "Oh…I see." he said softly, looking away.

Weiss' eyes were filled with confusion, "Wait, you thought I was serious?" she asked with her shock clear in her voice, while Yang and Ruby leaned in, equally shocked as well, while Pyrrha only frowned as she looked between them.

Jaune reached up to scratch the back of his head, "Uhm, y-yeah honestly, I just assumed that…well…" Jaune was silent as he tried to find the words.

"You aren't familiar with sarcasm are you?" Weiss asked softly, as Jaune sighed in response.

"No, I guess I am not." he said.

Weiss looked down, a look of guilt passing over her features, "Oh, I…I am sorry, I didn't realize."

Jaune chuckled as he turned to look at her, "Don't apologize, you couldn't possibly have known." he smiled reassuringly, "I am glad we got that out of the way." he began to laugh to himself, "I mean, I actually was thinking of trying to woo you with my guitar skills."

Weiss' eyes widened as Yang and Ruby began to chuckle in response.

Blake chose that moment to cut in, "Anything else?" she spoke with a smirk.

Jaune suddenly stopped laughing, stiffening as a nervous chuckle escaped his lips, "I uhm…would rather not say." he became quiet as they entered the forest again.

Nora looked at the forest in annoyance, "Oh not again."

Ren gently pat Nora on the shoulder, "It's alright Nora, we'll get through this."

The Deathstalkers claws slammed into the trees, ripping them out of the ground as Beacon was seen over the tree line.

Pyrrha steadily stood on her feet, "We're nearly there, you're doing great Jaune."

Jaune could only laugh in response, "I sent you and everyone else off of this thing six times Pyrrha."

Pyrrha smiled as she slowly sat down closer to Jaune, "Nobody is good at everything the first time around, or even the sixth time around." she said with a giggle.

Jaune rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah laugh it up." he coughed as he spoke, "Okay, turn left for two steps." he ordered the Deathstalker, which did as commanded.

Causing Yang to lurch, making her cover her mouth, "Guh, warn us next time you do that vomit boy."

Jaune looked back at her, grinning, "Whatever you say, vomit girl."

"Pfft!" Ruby snickered as Yang glared at Jaune with a childish pout.

Jaune chuckled while Ruby, Weiss and Blake chuckled at Yang's expense. As Jaune looked back at them, his eyes shifted to Ren, who was clutching his side, or more accurately, where Pyrrha had struck him.

His mind drifted back to the fight, it made no sense to him. Pyrrha was supposedly a champion, but how did she not take into account Ren's presence? His grandfather had told him how all the Hunter schools took fighting in groups into account, so how did Pyrrha not successfully avoiding striking Ren?

Looking to Pyrrha, he let his thoughts be known, "Pyrrha, can I ask you a question?"

Pyrrha blinked, turning to look at him, "Oh, of course Jaune." she said with a radiant smile, her eyes glimmering as she looked at him.

Jaune took in a deep breath, then exhaled, before he began to speak, "What happened back there?"

Pyrrha blinked confusedly, "What do you mean?" she asked, not understanding what he meant.

Jaune glanced back at Ren, "Pyrrha, when we fought that creature, you didn't even register Ren was there, it was like you weren't fighting beside other people, but by yourself."

Pyrrha's eyes widened, "O-oh…" she spoke slowly, looking down, a guilty expression on her face.

Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder, "I am not blaming you, I just want to know what happened."

"Yeah!" both Jaune and Pyrrha jumped as Nora suddenly appeared behind them, "…doesn't Sanctum drill teamwork exercises into most of their combat drills?"

Pyrrha nodded her head, "Yes, of course they did, we did so regularly actually."

Nora frowned, raising an eyebrow, crossing her arms, "And with the great Pyrrha Nikos on their team, how often did your teammates contribute?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth to respond, trying to think of a time when they contributed.

' _They did contribute, didn't they?'_ she thought to herself, her mind running at a hundred miles an hour trying to remember even one instance where they had done so.

She couldn't even remember the last time they had work as a team. She remembered how she'd beat one opponent after another, or even two or three at a time in quick succession without ever hitting her teammates.

' _Because they weren't there, they just sat back while I did everything.'_ realization struck her like a freight train.

Her teammates never did anything. They had always been passed so she never questioned I, but at no point did she ever remember her teammates helping her in a fight, they'd always keep their distance, but never actually join her in a fight.

She had gotten better, but not in a team setting, but by herself.

And she could have seriously hurt Ren because of it.

Her fighting style incorporated wide arcs and strikes, She had grown so it that when she was finally in a setting where others actually engaged at her side, she didn't know how to properly fight at their side!

Such a glaring weakness, how had she not seen it before?

A hand found itself on her shoulder, and she looked up to see the deep blue eyes of Jaune Arc staring at her, "Pyrrha, it's alright."

"B-but…" Pyrrha tried to speak, only for Nora to wrap her arm over her shoulder.

"No but's missy, that wasn't your fault. You now know the problem, and you know you need to fix it." Nora grinned, "And starting tomorrow, we are gonna make sure you can use your wide arcs to knock down a whole buttload of Grimm while weaving through us as if we weren't even there."

Jaune cut in, "That seems unlikely after one day of-"

"No excuses!" Nora yelled as she grinned manically, "So says the Queen of the Castle!" she said holding up the Rook chess piece, laughing maniacally.

The Deathstalker lurched suddenly as its feet fell through a small opening in the ground, and the Rook went flying from her hand, and rolling to the edge of the Deathstalker.

"No!" Nora jumped to grab the Rook, barely grabbing it by her fingertips, before she began to lovingly cradle it, "Shhh, shhh, mommy is here."

Ren sighed in response to Nora's antics as they exited the forest, and began to ascend the incline leading up to Beacon, "We're almost there."

As they ascended, Blake scurried over to Jaune's side, "We should stop here."

Jaune blinked, "Why?"

Blake pointed up at Beacon, "If somebody sees us riding a Grimm, there'll be a panic."

Yang chose that moment to cut in, "We'll just explain its Jaune's semblance-"

Blake turned to look at Yang before she could finish, as the Deathstalker came to a flat area in the incline, "Do you think the others will see it that way?"

They were all quiet as Blakes words echoed in their minds.

Would they see it that way?

"Blake is right." Ren spoke up, "Just because we know it is a semblance doesn't mean the rest of Beacon will be so understanding. It would be best if we make the rest of the journey on foot, the Grimm got us this far, we can handle the rest."

Nora nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I mean, best case scenario they agree with us, but worst case scenario…" she became quiet, a shiver running up her spine.

Pyrrha looked at Jaune, who had already ordered the Grimm to stop, "Jaune…"

"They're right, we got this far, we can make it the rest of the way. We don't need all of Beacon knowing I can…well…" he became quiet as he got to his feet, and slid off of the Deathstalker.

Yang groaned as she got off of the Deathstalker, sighing as she stretched her body, "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

Ruby slid off of the Grimm, before patting Yang on the back, "Whatever you say vomit-girl."

"Hey!" Yang cried out incredulously as the others slid off of the Grimm.

Jaune looked up at Beacon, and then turned back towards the Grimm, "Ok, go back to the forest."

The Grimm chittered as it backed away from Jaune, heading back to the forest as Jaune commanded.

Right over the edge of the cliff.

The eight initiates could only stare at the spectacle before them, until they heard a loud crash, causing Nora to shoot to the side of the cliff, looking down.

"Well, you did say 'go back to the forest'." Yang responded, slapping Jaune on the back, who only sighed in response.

"I know." he turned away from the cliff, as they all began to ascend the remainder of the incline, headed on their way towards the entrance to Beacon.

As they walked away, a series of rocks fell from the top of the cliff overlooking them

* * *

Cardin chuckled to himself as he walked out of the main building of Beacon, things were certainly looking up for him. First day here and he already has a group of lackey's to do what he says. It was good being as big and intimidating as he was.

There were a few issues though, he wasn't able to show off his skills in combat, not really, so he wasn't sure if he'd be made the leader of any team.

He snorted under his breath, _'Like that matters.'_ he thought to himself, even if he wasn't officially leading, he had enough going for him where he'd be able to kowtow his 'team'.

Out of the four of them, he was the only one who seemed remotely capable in combat, though he was a bit worried about Dove. What little he saw showed Dove was at least capable with his short-sword. Russel used a pair of daggers, while Sky used a halberd.

He'd need to make sure Dove understood who was in charge, with any luck he'd be able to do so without having to actually fight him. He knew raw power and strength would only get him so far, and if Dove was as good a fighter as he thought, then his technique would be useless against him.

He smirked to himself, _'Like that'll be a problem.'_ he'd always been able to get away with a lot, using his height and imposing physique to his advantage, his family name helped as well, but the latter would do little to help him here.

So long as he stuck to his strengths and gave an impressive enough show, Dove would be easy enough to make kowtow, Sky and Russel were too cowardly to ever try anything against him.

Reaching to his pocket, he pulled out a can of soda he had swiped from Sky, chuckling as he cracked it open, taking a sip, before spitting it out, "Guh." he looked at the can, frowning, "I hate grapes." he dropped the can on the ground, not even bothering with waiting to find a trash receptacle.

His long stride found him at the edge of the Beacon cliffs, looking over at the Emerald Forest, taking in a deep breath of air, before letting it out.

Vale sure was different from Atlas, much less cold, the smell of timber was a lot stronger too.

It was almost enough to make him question his decision to come here instead of staying in Atlas.

Almost, he never liked the cold anyway.

'Crack' his ears picked up the sound of trees falling over, and his gaze snapped towards the direction of the forest, his eyes widened as he saw a massive Deathstalker enter the clearing in front of Beacon, as it began to ascend up the incline leading to Beacon's entrance.

He'd never actually seen a Deathstalker until today, but he could already tell this one was old, _really_ old, its sheer size said that much.

Cursing under his breath for leaving his weapon behind, he grabbed his scroll and began to pull up the call feature.

Only for his motions to stop as he saw something on the Deathstalkers back.

"What the…" he muttered as he switched off the call function, and pulled up the camera function on his scroll, zooming in as much as he could.

His eyes became wide as he saw eight people riding on the Deathstalkers back, including Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee.

His eyes grew wider as he saw the one sitting on the head of the Grimm speak, and the Deathstalker suddenly stopped.

One by one they slid off of the creature, his hands trembling as he saw the blonde, who he recognized from yesterday, the guy who ran into him when he finished his prayer rites.

He commanded the Grimm, and it obeyed.

He stepped back, his body shaking, no longer filled with confidence, he was now filled with fear.

He stumbled back, no words leaving his lips as he ran back to Beacon, away from that _thing_ , a single phrase ringing in his ears.

' _He is of the Grimm Sire!'_

* * *

It had taken them nearly half an hour, but finally, _finally_ , they had successfully reached the top of the hill, and found themselves in front of Beacon's front entrance.

"Sanctuary!" Yang yelled as she ran through the entrance, falling to her knees, "Yes, at last!" she began to cackle joyously as Nora joined her, kissing the ground of Beacon as Ren shook his head.

Ruby and Weiss watched the spectacle, the former groaning as she saw Yang's display, "Is it possible to die from embarrassment?" she asked Weiss, who only shrugged.

"Such research would be considered unethical."

Ruby frowned, "You still didn't answer my question."

Weiss ignored Ruby, and continued to walk forward, while Blake leaned down next to her partner, "You know, we still have to get to the main building itself."

"Don't ruin this for me." she said as she tenderly ran her fingers across the marble stone walkways of Beacon.

Nora grinned at yang, "Careful not to ruin the marble vomit-girl."

"All of my hate!" Yang yelled as she reached for Nora, who nimbly avoided her grasp, blowing raspberries at the blonde before Yang proceeded to chase the ginger.

Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren watched the display, "It's like an episode of 'Rye'lee and Rhodes Rayne." Ren mentioned as the trio watched the chase occur.

"What's that?" Jaune asked the only other male in their group, with Pyrrha patting him on the back.

"We can watch an episode later, I heard they're airing a new one tonight." Pyrrha smiled as they began to head towards Beacon.

Jaune blinked, "Shouldn't we watch an earlier episode to get the plot?" he ran after them, an amused smile appearing on Pyrrha's lips as she heard his statement.

Plot, in Rye'lee and Rhodes Rayne? That wasn't going to happen.

"Children." the eight students turned their head as they heard a commanding voice call out to them.

Walking towards them at a brisk pace was none other than Glynda Goodwitch.

The eight initiates gathered together as Glynda stopped in front of them, "I see that all of you have returned in a timely manner. Were you all capable of completing your objective?" she queried with a stern gaze.

Weiss stepped forward, coughing softly, "Yes Professor, we were able to acquire the relics." behind her, Ruby, Jaune, Nora and Yang pulled out their 'relics'.

Humming softly to herself, Glynda raised her riding crop, which was enveloped in her aura, causing the four chess pieces to float from their holders.

"Nooooo." Nora whined as the Rook left her fingers, "The queen needs her castle." she whined as Ren patted her on the back.

Glynda ignored the whining of the ginger as she examined the pieces. After a second, she flicked her wrist, and the four pieces flew towards a pouch that she was carrying around, "Congratulations, you are now officially students of Beacon Academy." she cast her gaze upon them, "I presume that you all completed your task without too much difficulty?"

Pyrrha chose this moment to step in, "Of course Miss Goodwitch."

Glynda was silent, her gaze casting over each of the students, who each nodded in affirmation, until her gaze settled on Jaune.

Lingering for a second longer, even after he nodded in agreement.

She then turned to regard the whole group, "You must all be starving, head towards the cafeteria, team placements will occur this evening. Until then, get some food and drink into your bellies, and then freshen yourselves up. There will be upperclassmen ready to direct you until then." she turned on her heel and trodded towards the main building, leaving the eight of them behind.

All was silent as they watched the professor leave, until Ruby broke the silence, "Was it me or did she-"

"She knows." Jaune spoke, his voice trembling as his fingers curled into a fist.

Pyrrha placed her hand on Jaune's shoulder, "We don't know that Jaune, it was probably a coincidence."

"Pyrrha, what other reason would she have to stare at me longer than the rest of you?" Jaune felt his heart race, at that moment Yang placed her own hand on his shoulder, shushing him.

"Maybe she is into younger guys?" everyone's heads snapped to look at Nora, "What, it could happen?"

Weiss crossed her arms, huffing in response, "If that's the case then why didn't she do the same to Ren?"

Nora grinned, "Maybe Professor Goodwitch wants to have a blonde boytoy?"

Weiss rolled her eyes in response, "Of all the-"

"If Glynda knew Jaune was telling the Grimm what to do, she probably would have said something." Ren announced, "Pyrrha could be right, it could just be a coincidence she looked at him longer. We're probably reading too much into it."

"And if we're not?" this time Blake spoke up, "What if she does know Jaune commanded the Grimm?"

Ren looked at Blake and answered, "Then she sees Jaune's semblance as just that, a semblance." he spoke with finality.

Yang was rubbing Jaune's back as he leaned over, slowly regaining his breath, as Pyrrha looked on in worry, being held back by Ruby as Jaune got back under control.

Finally, Jaune was able to take in a normal breath, "O-okay, s-so…not as bad as we t-thought." he enunciated, his tone expressing his relief and disbelief in unison.

Ruby finally let Pyrrha pass, who quickly stood next to Jaune, "Yes, it will be alright Jaune, I promise." she gently placed her hand on his cheek, smiling as she looked into his eyes.

They were all silent as they watched the scene before them.

"Well!" the silence was cut off as Yang spoke up, "Now that that is out of the way, I say we all go and get some grub." she began to drool as she headed towards the school, "Warm food here I come!" she yelled as she practically began to skip towards the main building.

"H-hey wait!" Ruby suddenly shot after Yang, as Nora dragged Ren along to the song of _"Pancakes, pancakes, how I love the pancakes."_

Pyrrha giggled at the display before looking back at Jaune, "Shall we?" she gestured to the building.

Jaune smiled back at Pyrrha, "Warm food and a shower, how could I possibly resist?"

The duo began to head towards the building, with Weiss and Blake taking up the rear.

The two were quiet, until Blake chose to break it, "Do you see Glynda making Jaune her boytoy?"

"Grrrrrr!" Weiss fumed as she covered her eyes, completely missing the smirk on Blakes face.

* * *

After Yang had slammed into the entranceway with Ruby, the two of them wrestling with each other to make it to the cafeteria first, the group eventually found their way to the Cafeteria.

The smell of food had drawn them like moths to the flame, and they quickly lined up at the buffet table.

Yang had quickly piled her plate with chicken and mashed potatoes, slathering the plate with thick gravy as she added a side of green beans. Ruby had loaded her plate with strawberries and cookies, along with some green beans and rice. Weiss grabbed some rice, green beans, an apple and a slice of steak. Blake had loaded her plate with tuna, salmon and flounder. Ren had to force Nora to eat something beyond pancakes, but that did not stop her from piling her plate with pancakes, at least they had sliced bananas. Ren only grabbed some oatmeal and nuts, with a side of fruit.

Pyrrha grabbed a plate of toasted barley bread and a fried flounder.

Jaune however, had simply grabbed some chicken and some rice, before placing some gravy on them.

Satisfied with his dish, he turned to head to the table, "Oof!" only to run into somebody, spilling his food all over the both of them.

Pyrrha was immediately by his side, "Jaune are you alright?" she asked with worry.

Jaune groaned as he sat up, "Y-yeah, I am fine." his gaze shifting to the one he had run into.

Still standing, albeit now with chicken, rice and gravy staining her clothes, was a pale skinned woman, though not to the same extent as Weiss, with purple hair and eyes, her bangs covering her forehead. Her now stained clothes consisted of a dark green corset-like top that showed off her cleavage, and a knee length pleated combat skirt. She also wore a purple cloak and hood very similar to Ruby's, with a pair of elbow length black fingerless gloves and a pair of black boots. She also had a necklace with what appeared to be an amethyst shaped like an arrowhead.

Jaune stammered as he stood up with assistance from Pyrrha, "I-I am really sorry, I didn't mean to get food all over you."

The girl simply glanced at him, before she shrugged her shoulders, "It's fine, it isn't like you purposely got me covered in chicken and rice didja?" she said with a narrowing of her eyes.

Jaune waved his hands as he stuttered out a response, "N-no, I swear."

The girl beamed in response, "Then there are no problems." she grinned, before she pouted as she examined her top, "Though, this was my favorite top."

Jaune immediately felt guilty, making Pyrrha frown at the girl, "I-I am really sorry, I-"

She suddenly burst into laughter, "Oh ease up blondie, no hard feelings." she held out her hand, "By the by, my name is Amethyst, Amethyst Rilo."

Jaune blinked in confusion, before he slowly reacted, reaching out and shaking her hand, "Uhm, I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc." he gestured to Pyrrha, "And this is my partner, Pyrrha Nikos."

Amethyst smirked, "Jaune huh, well, nice to meet ya." she nodded her head to Pyrrha, "And you as well Pyrrha."

Pyrrha nodded her head in response, "

"Hey Amethyst, you alright?" Amethyst turned around and saw three people headed towards them.

The first was a male who looked about 5'4'', he had slightly wavy dark blue hair, with similarly colored eyes and lightly tanned skin. His clothing consisted of a navy blue happi with black trim and crimson red highlights over a black robe, with crimson red Hakama trousers. He had plate pauldrons on his coat shoulders along with plate arm bracers on his forearms and plate armor greaves on his legs. A black belt with what appeared to be a blue tiger design wrapped around his waist.

The second was a female, she looked to be about 5'7'' tall, darker skin, a slim figure, and she had short slate gray hair which and a pair of black sunglasses covered her eyes. She wore a black vest with a turtleneck attachment, her arms were sleeveless, though she wore a pair of black gloves with metal bracers on the back. She had black combat pants with a pair of black combat boots, but there was a noticeable metal tip at the end of each. She had tattoo's on her arms, which looked like they wrapped around her arm, with a silver chain necklace around her neck with a glass vial hanging off of it, with what looked like a bullet inside of it.

The third was a male, who stood at an imposing 6'8'' in height, he had a reddish tan to his skin and his eyes glistened a dark amber color. He had long hair which reached his upper back and flared outward; giving him the appearance of a Lion, the hair itself was a dark golden color with black tips. He wore an open vest with what appeared to be Grimm designs sewn into the cloth with red fibers. He also wore a pair of Hakama trousers, but they were a darker black color. He wore a Kusazuri around his waist which had some clear wear and tear on it, and were studded with spikes. He had what appeared to be wooden sandles, and hanging off of his waist was a white mask shaped like a Lion head with fangs growing out of its mouth and a single horn on the forehead, traced with ornate red designs. He was clearly well muscled, and had scars littering various portions of his body.

As the trio approached, Amethyst turned to them and waved them off, "Don't worry guys, just a little bit of klutziness from one of our classmates." she said pointing her thumb at Jaune.

The male in front leaned over to look at Jaune, who was waving awkwardly at them, while the girl raised an eyebrow as the taller male walked past her towards Jaune and Pyrrha

Jaune's eyes focused on the taller male, who was looking down on him, nervously grinning as he felt his throat suddenly become dry, "H-hi, m-my name is Jaune." he said slowly extending his hand, as Pyrrha watched closely, her eyes shifting between Jaune and the giant of a student before them, getting a good look at his face.

His features were sharp, very elegant, but there was a certain feral aspect about his physique which she couldn't help but notice. She also noted that the student before he was exceptionally attractive, the way his cheekbones and jawline worked so well together was hard to dismiss, though she had grown so accustomed to looks that it barely phased her.

The taller male was quiet, before his lips curled into a grin, revealing his fang-like teeth as he grabbed Jaune's hand, squeezing it as he shook it, "The name's Taji." he released Jaune's hand, which the blond quickly began to cradle as the now named Taji turned to look at Pyrrha, "Pyrrha Nikos I presume?"

Pyrrha frowned at Taji, "Yes, and you just hurt my partner."

Taji glanced at Jaune, before turning his amber eyes back to Pyrrha's emerald ones, "Sorry about that, guess I don't know my own strength." he said with a cheeky grin, as the blue haired male walked up beside him and lightly elbowed him in the side.

"Knock it off Taji." the male looked at Pyrrha, smiling with a nervous look in his eyes, "Sorry about my partner, he really didn't mean it." coughing he extended his hand, "My name is Azura of clan Soutora. It is a pleasure to meet you miss Nikos."

Pyrrha extended her hand, and shook it, a smile crossing her features, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well." she looked between Azura and Taji, "You two know each other before Beacon?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

Azura sighed as he looked at Taji, who shook his head, "No, we actually just met during initiation."

Pyrrha blinked, before frowning, "Then how would you know he didn't mean it?"

Before Azura could open his mouth, Taji answered, "Because I'm an Onko." he said with a tone of finality.

Pyrrha's eyes lit up in recognition, "Ah…I see." she spoke, as Jaune glanced at her in confusion.

"Uhm, Pyrrha, what does he mean?" Jaune asked with genuine confusion, making Pyrrha shift her gaze back at him.

"The Onko are a clan of which recently entered the Kingdoms, they have lived outside the Kingdom walls since before Mistral rose up. They only just petitioned to join the Kingdoms a few months ago." she explained, and then looked back at Taji, "Though I am surprised to see an Onko here in Beacon."

Taji looked around, "Yeah, they were initially going to have me go to Mistral, but renegotiations decided to send one of us to each of the Major academies, while the younger ones started in the preparatory schools." he explained, "I expect half of them will be expelled or in jail within a week." he said with certainty.

Pyrrha frowned, but said nothing, before her eyes caught sight of the last member of the trio, "And who is your friend?"

Amethyst practically beamed as she shot over to the last girls side, "This here is my partner, Marth Pierce." she pouted as she looked at Marth, "She doesn't say much unfortunately."

The now named Marth turned her head to look at Amethyst, "I talk, I just don't waste my words on things I don't deem important." her voice was cold, but not harsh, more stoic than anything. Which matched her facial expression almost perfectly.

Amethyst only grinned at that, "So you think responding to me is important? Yay!" she cheered as she wrapped her arm around Marth's shoulder and pulled her closer, making the dark skinned girl frown, and Pyrrha could almost see the girl rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses.

"Pyrrha, Jaune!" the two mentioned students turned their head to see Nora waving her arms as she yelled over to them, "Hurry up on over here lazy butts!"

Pyrrha waved over to her, "We'll be there shortly." Pyrrha turned back to the Amethyst, "I am sorry, we should get back to them." she smiled as she reached out, shaking Pyrrha's hand, "It was nice to meet you all." she said softly, making Amethyst grin in response.

"Oh you flatter me." she said softly with a giggle, smiling back at her, "You shouldn't make a young lady blush Pyrrha." she said with a grin as she slipped her hand out of Pyrrha's, making sure to drag her fingers against the redhead Mistralian's, "Toodles." she said as she walked away, the trio leaving as well, with Marth following quietly, as Taji put Azura in a headlock, much to the shorter male's chagrin.

Jaune chuckled as he and Pyrrha headed to the table their comrades had gathered at.

As the two of them sat down, Jaune noticed Weiss was staring, or rather, glaring, at Taji, "Hey Weiss, what's up?" he asked concernedly.

Weiss didn't turn to look at him, keeping her gaze fixed on Taji, "Can you believe the gall, letting him carry _that_ in Beacon?" her fingers curled into fists as her eyes remained fixed on Taji.

Ruby leaned over, "What is _that_?" she asked, not seeing what Weiss was referring to.

Weiss turned to Ruby, gesturing to Taji, "He is openly carrying around a White Fang mask!" she said with a noticeable edge to her voice, and all eyes honed in on Tajis waist, where the mask was held openly and proudly.

"It's not a White Fang mask." Pyrrha cut in, making Weiss turn to her and frown.

"Pyrrha, surely you can see the obvious similarities." she said rather than asked, making the redhead she was speaking to turn to her with a sigh.

"It is similar, yes, but not for the reasons you think." she looked over at the group of four, who were eating at their own table, "Taji is from the clan Onko, a tribe which until recently lived outside the walls of the Kingdom of Mistral. They recently asked to join the kingdom of Mistral. When they arrived similar assumptions as your own were made, but his clan isn't associated with the White Fang." Pyrrha turned to look at Weiss, "If anything, the White Fang stole the custom of wearing Grimm masks from his clan."

This caught Weiss by surprise, "What do you mean?" Yang spoke up, leaning closer to get all the details.

Off to the side, the others were watching on.

Pyrrha glanced at Yang and began to explain, "I don't know all the details, but clan Onko has a custom where they kill a specific type of Grimm and then craft a mask in that Grimm's image. At some point the clan came in contact with several members from the White Fang as it was beginning to go from a peaceful protesting organization to a terrorist organization. I don't know why, but members of the clan taught them and even passed on some of their ideals to these members. From there they in turn passed on teachings and the same mindset onto the White Fang." she gestured over to Taji, "So if anything, the White Fang are wearing Onko masks, without the trials that one goes through to get them."

Weiss' lips curled into a frown, though her glare had lessened as she glanced over at Taji, "Under the assumption that is the case, why don't they stop using them?"

"Tell me Weiss…" Weiss' gaze shifted towards the one who had spoken, and found herself looking at Blake, "…would you forsake your own symbolism, culture and ideals because one group began to use it and make it look bad?"

Weiss was silent as all eyes were upon her, before a breath finally escaped her lips, "No." she looked back at Taji, without venom this time.

The others watched the four of them interact, and saw Azura and Taji beginning to argue, causing Ren to speak up, "It looks like those two don't like each other."

Pyrrha shook her head, "I don't think it is that, it's just that the Soutora and Onko have a rivalry since before Mistral was formed." she bit into her food, "Which is odd since the Soutora were one of the founding clans of Mistral."

Jaune looked up in confusion, "Wait, then why is there a rivalry?"

The redheaded Mistralian sighed in response, "Tradition honestly, stories and tales and ideals passed down for generations without the two ever actually meeting." she said slowly, taking a bite of her food.

Jaune looked over at the group, frowning, "Well, hopefully with the two actually meeting that might go away." he thought out loud, before turning to the table…and then realizing he needed to go back to the buffet, "I'll be right back." he said quietly as he stood up, and headed back.

Pyrrha could only chuckle as Jaune went back to refill his plate, "Don't run into anyone this time Jaune." she mentioned with a mocking order.

Jaune looked back at her and began to walk backwards, "Oh don't worry Pyrrha, I'm not that clum-ZEE!" Jaune yelled as he suddenly slipped, falling backwards.

Slamming into another person, before falling back to the ground.

Pyrrha gasped as she suddenly stood up, "Jaune!" she yelled as she ran back over, as the blonde swordsman groaned.

"W-what hit me."

"Correction." Jaune froze as the voice reverberated above him, and his eyes snapped open to look up at the one who had spoken, "You hit me."

Jaune suddenly shot up to a sitting position and then leapt to his feet, just as Pyrrha got to his side, the two of them looking at the one Jaune had slammed into.

They stared upon a girl with an impressive height, she easily stood at 6'4'' in height, her skin was a pale complexion with freckles dotting her nose, and she had heterochromia. Her left eye was a lighter shade of blue, while her right eye was a shade of brown, with both eyes having flecks of silver color along the edge of the iris. She had rust red hair which came down to just below her ears, cut in a shag format, with her hair fringing around the edges. She wore stony gray steel plate armor which looked to have been recently polished, though battle damage was obvious. The armor had markings on the shoulder pad, though none were immediately familiar, and she had a golden chain around her neck, connected to a single dark blue crystal wrapped in silver tendrils which she wore as a necklace.

Jaune gulped, the tone of her voice making him shiver, until a hand found its way to his shoulder.

Pyrrha coughed as she squeezed Jaune's shoulder, "We're sorry, it was an accident."

The girl looked over at Pyrrha, her face remaining stony, "I saw your partner run into one student earlier, and now he runs into me. Once is an accident, but this is the second time he has done this. Either he did so intentionally or he is incompetent, neither one paints him in a very good light." she spoke with finality as she grabbed some food at the buffet, placing it on her tray, before regarding the two of them, "I strongly recommend he learn to curb such traits, and soon." she turned away, walking towards one of the tables.

Pyrrha frowned and moved to follow her, only to be block by an arm in her path. She snapped her gaze to look at the one who had stopped her.

She found a man standing with his arm outstretched blocking her path, who stood no taller than 5'6'' in height. He had a complexion that concernedly pale, his eyes a shade of bluish grey, with electric blue accenting the edge of his iris'. He had short black hair with streaks of silver along the edge of his crown, with his hair cut and parted down the middle. He wore what appeared to be a pair of suit pants and a suit jacket, albeit fitted more for combat. He also wore a pair of business shoes. He had a chain hanging out of his pocket, which looked to be made of silver.

The man in question spoke up, "You would be wasting your breath Miss Nikos." he spoke as he lowered his arm, gesturing to the woman who left, "I must profess Miss Aestus is too set in her ways to be swayed by words alone." he looked back at her, "Though I admit I've known her for but a day, I could be making false judgments based on our brief interactions." he turned his gaze back at Pyrrha, "Even still, I am fairly confident she will not be swayed by anything you have to say."

Jaune didn't like the way this guy was speaking to Pyrrha, his tone so dismissive, but rather than start an argument he chose instead to take the high road, "And you are?"

Even he winced as he realized how insulting he had made that sound.

The man looked at Jaune, his gaze shifting up and down, before he finally answered, "It is impolite to ask another's name before providing your own. But for the sake of bringing this conversation to a close, I shall indulge you." he gave a slight bow, "I am Tekola Nisla, and the young maiden with whom you ran into was Beryll Aestus, my partner." he spoke without a hint of edge to his voice.

Jaune bit his lip, and took in a deep breath, "I guess I was impolite." coughing, he extended his hand, "My name is Jaune Arc, it is nice to meet you Tekola."

Tekola looked at Jaune's hand, before slowly extending his own, meeting his, "Greetings, Mister Arc…" his gaze shifted to Pyrrha, "…Miss Nikos." he pulled his hand away, placing it in his pocket, "Though I am sure that we might continue to have such riveting conversations, I must bid you farewell for now." he bowed his head, "Good day to you both." with that, he turned on his heel and headed towards his partner.

The duo watched as Jaune leaned over and whispered, "Rude." to which Pyrrha giggled in response.

"I'll say." the two jumped and snapped around, already moving to a combat position, and found themselves looking at two newcomers.

The first was a male at about 5'8'' in height, with a light tan complexion. He had caramel brown hair with the tips shifting into a tawny brown color. His eyes were a forest green color, which matched his hair and complexion in a very unique way. He wore a pair of black pants, though one side was covered in a green tunic, wrapped around his waist to only cover the one leg. He wore a forest green doublet with ornate golden trimmings and silver buttons, a silky brown undershirt being revealed beneath. Around his neck he wore a silver locket with rubies studding the locket itself.

The other was also male, standing at about 5'7'' in height, though leaning more towards the shorter end of that height. His skin was a light tan color, and his eyes were a dark brown color. Atop his head however was not hair, but rather short blue feathers with a slight orange color along the bangs. He wore a tight black sleeveless vest, which showed off his arms which had some noticeable, if minor, muscle. There was a bird sewn into the vest with blue thread, though it was remarkably simple in its design, it lacked any details beyond the vague shape of a bird. He also wore a pair of black pants which he had tucked into his boots.

The brown hair man stepped forward, and gingerly took Pyrrha's hand in his, smiling, "I apologize for the rudeness of my acquaintances, neither one are particularly knowledgeable in proper social etiquette I am afraid." he chuckled as Pyrrha quickly slipped her hands from his grip, "That, or they simply don't care for it."

Pyrrha placed her hands behind her back and cleared her voice, "It is alright mister…" she asked slowly, as the male before her seemed to glow with a rather charming grin.

"Ah, where are my manners?" he asked rhetorically, as he bowed low, his arm held out and lifted upwards, his head bowed as he spoke, "Layton Scarlet, at your service milady." he slowly ascended back to a standing position, as he gestured over towards the other, who took the hint and stepped forth.

"Uhm, my name is Sial Rubus, though most people just call me Sial." he said, before blushing as he stood back behind Layton, who only chuckled as he looked back at Pyrrha.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Nikos." he smiled softly, lowering his head as he stared into Pyrrha's eyes, "You are more beautiful than words or photography could ever truly capture, I feel honored to have had a chance to see it in person." he smiled as he began to walk away, leaving Sial behind.

Sial sighed before turning back to Jaune and Pyrrha, "Sorry, he's a bit of a flirt, I'll try and get him to leave you be." he began to walk away, though both Jaune and Pyrrha could hear him mutter under his breath _"Get him to stop, yeah right, maybe the Grimm will start a knitting circle next."_

The duo just stared there, before looking back at each other, "Welcome to Beacon huh?" Jaune asked rhetorically, with Pyrrha smiling back at him in response.

"Yeah, welcome indeed."

* * *

After they had all gotten something to eat, they had been quickly located by an upperclassmen, who directed them to the communal shower, advising them to make it as quick as possible. After rubbing the grime and filth that had accumulated off as quickly and efficiently as possible. After realizing they had all failed to acquire a clean pair of clothing, they opted to do what they could with removing the filth from their used gear.

All things considered, it wasn't that bad, despite the odor still clinging to their clothes. However, as long as nobody got too close they'd be fine.

They hoped.

" _Would all first year students please make_ their _way to the auditorium."_ with the voice of Glynda Goodwitch echoing in the halls, they were quick to obey. The upperclassmen assigned to watch over them was quick to direct them to where they needed to go, despite their assurances that they could find the way back to the auditorium. The upperclassmen shook their head and responded, "Not taking the chance with Goodwitch."

They didn't know why, but the way the upperclassmen had said that single phrase encouraged them to not question it, weird.

After a long walk to the Auditorium, they found themselves looking upon a crowded room, with their escort directing them to the front of the crowd where the rest of the first years awaited them.

Finally, they found themselves at the front of the auditorium, as the headmaster stepped forward from behind the curtains, standing before a microphone, and began to speak.

"Today I see amongst us those of whom stepped forth and rose to the challenge to join the ranks of Hunters across the Four Kingdoms of Remnant." he looked upon those in front, "Today, fifty-six of you shall take your place in the halls of Beacon, so that one day you may in fact join the ranks of those of whom you aspire to be, the protectors of the people of Remnant. Young and old, kind and wicked, innocent and guilty, you shall take up this responsibility as your own when you leave these halls." Ozpin held up his scroll, and slid his finger across the screen, "But today, we shall announce your place within these halls and assign you your teams." he pressed a button on his scroll, and a screen descended from the ceiling, which lit up, displaying the symbol of Beacon proudly.

Ozpin pressed another button on the scroll and began to speak, "Will all first year students please step onto the stage?"

As commanded they all began to file onto the stage, their eyes lingering on the headmaster, as he watched them closely.

He silently slid his thumb across his scroll, and with it a series of names appeared on the screen, "Beryll Aestus, Layton Scarlet, Sial Rubus and Tekola Nisla, step forward."

The eyes of the remaining initiates looked out from their positions as they saw the four students step forward, their arms held behind their back as Ozpin turned to look at them.

"For retrieving the Black Rook pieces, you shall be known as Team Ballast, led by Beryll Aestus."

The crowd sprung to life, loud clapping echoing in the halls, as the acronym for their team appeared on the screen, 'BLST'.

At the mention of the name, Weiss' eyes widened as she stared at Beryll, "Aestus…Nisla?" she muttered beneath her breath.

Which did not go unnoticed by Ruby, "Why is her name so important?" she asked with confusion.

Weiss' gaze shifted to the younger initiate, "House Aestus was singlehandedly responsible for pushing Atlas technological capabilities so far beyond the rest of Remnant, if it wasn't for them then Atlas never would have gotten as far as it has today." she looked over to the last member of the newly anointed Team Ballast, "As for Nisla, my company has a scientist in RID who is named Nisla, his son went missing almost twelve months ago, I wonder if that is him." she made a mental note to check SDC records, in case they had something on file to confirm.

As Team Ballast was dismissed from the stage, Ozpin continued, "Amethyst Rilo, Marth Pierce, Azura Soutora and Taji Onko, step forward."

Like before, the crowd looked on, but as they saw the mask on his belt, a loud cry of boos was directed at Taji, who simply turned upon them, holding out his arms, grinning as he bowed.

Yang frowned, "What a bunch of jerks." she crossed her arms as she watched Taji get back into line, but not before sending off a particularly rude gesture to the class in response, "I am surprised he isn't bother by it."

Pyrrha frowned, "It fits his family words."

Blake's curiosity got the better of her, "Which are?"

Pyrrha was silent, before the words escaped her lips, "Their words are, _'Those who care for the opinions of others are lost.'_ "

As Pyrrha spoke, Ozpin turned to regard the four students, "For retrieving the Black Knight pieces, you shall be known as Team Amaranth, led by Amethyst Rilo."

The crowd clapped as Amethyst placed her shoulder on Marth, grinning as she posed with Marth, as Taji and Azura did the same while the acronym for their team name was displayed on screen, 'AMAT'.

As the clapping died out, Ozpin spoke up, "Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark, step forward."

The four males stepped forward, with the tallest of the four casting a glance back at the other first years, before swiftly turning away.

Ozpin paid it no mind as he announced the next team, "For retrieving the Black Bishop pieces, you shall be known as Team Cardinal, led by Cardin Winchester."

Like before, the clapping commenced, and the acronym for their team appeared on screen, 'CRDL' before the next group was called up.

Black Queens, Black Kings, and Black pawns.

Finally, half the successful initiates had been placed on a team, as Ozpin looked upon the last of the initiates, "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long, step forward."

Yang grinned as she patted Jaune on the back, "That's us vomit-boy, catch ya later." she said with a grin.

Jaune only smiled cheekily in response, "In a while, vomit-girl."

"Grrrr!" Yang was grabbed by Blake and forcibly dragged in front of Ozpin, as he began to announce their teams.

"For retrieving the White Knight pieces, you shall be known as team Ruby, led by Ruby Rose."

Ruby blinked as her mouth fell open, "W-wait, what?" she asked before Yang jumped upon her, lifting her up off of the ground.

"I'm so proud of you!" she grinned as she pressed the smaller girl against her chest, as Blake and Weiss looked on in embarrassment, while the acronym for their team appeared on screen, 'RWBY'.

Ozpin chuckled beneath his breath as he read off the next list of names, "Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren, step forward."

Jaune felt his throat become dry as he did as instructed, with Pyrrha's hand on his shoulder as they stepped onto the stage, as Nora practically vibrated where she was standing from pure excitement, while Ren worriedly waited for the inevitable outburst.

Ozpin looked upon them, his eyes falling upon Jaune, a hum escaping his lips, before he focused the whole of his attention upon them.

Which did not go unnoticed by RWBY, or the soon to be named team.

"For retrieving the White Rook pieces, you shall be known as Team Juniper, led by Jaune Arc."

…

…

…

"W-what?" Jaune stammered out, as Pyrrha lightly punched his shoulder in congratulations, unintentionally making him fall over, before Nora scooped up the blonde and crushing him with one of her hugs, as the acronym for their name appeared on screen, 'JNPR'.

None seeing the look of fear in the eyes of CRDL's leader.

* * *

Ozpin stepped into his office, his shoulders slumped, as the full weight of his exhaustion was finally permitted to be shown as he fell into his chair with the grace of a sack of potatoes, being launched from a cannon.

Removing his glasses, and rubbing the bridge of his nose, he reached for his scroll and began to slide his finger across his contacts, pulling up the name of Peter Port, before pressing the call button.

After several seconds, the face of Peter Port appeared on screen, "Peter, please tell me you have something to report."

The mustached professor took in a deep breath, "I do, it would appear that somebody, or rather, something, cut down one of the false trees being used as a transmitter for the camera feeds in this sector. By the looks of it, it was one of those creatures that those students faced. Speaking of which, have they been assigned their teams already?"

Ozpin nodded his head, "Yes, Team Ruby lead by Ruby Rose, with Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long, and Team Juniper lead by Jaune Arc, with Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren."

Peter was quiet, though the scrunching of his eyes showed his thoughts far more clearly.

After a moment, he broke the silence, "I have yet to be disappointed with your actions thus far old friend, while I do not know why you arranged the teams as you did, I can only assume you thought it best and not because of a clever naming strategy." he said with a hearty chuckle.

Ozpin's smile briefly returned, before his exhaustion reminded him of the importance of the matter he was about to discuss, "When can we expect the bodies of the creatures to be brought back to Beacon?"

Port became silent, his joyous expression turning sour, and a cough escaping his lips, "U-uhm, I am afraid that won't be possible."

Ozpin's tired eyes shot open as he stared at Port with a questioning gaze, "Why not?"

Peter was silent, as if trying to find the words, until he sighed and turned the scroll to look at a very familiar clearing.

A very _empty_ clearing.

Ozpin shot up from his seat, "Where did they go Peter?" he said with a noticeable edge to his voice.

Peter turned the scroll to look back at him, "I don't know, when I arrived I expected them to still be here, but I couldn't even find any arrows from that one monster. It's as if everything simply vanished without a trace."

Ozpin gripped the edge of his desk, "What does this mean then? Could they have dissipated after death? Are they some new form of Grimm that we haven't seen until now, a higher strain that Jaune's semblance cannot make bow to his will?"

Peter shook his head in response, "No, I think that something purposefully disposed of the bodies and took every last weapon from the area." he held up his hand, showing a clump of grass, "I pulled this from where we saw the swordsman monster perish."

Ozpin frowned, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the grass in Peter's hands.

It seemed normal, but he could tell by the discoloration and burns, that something had damaged the grass, something acidic.

But what type of acid dissolved the body and not the area around it?

"You are to report back to Beacon immediately Port, no hunting, no trips, just get back here now, and bring that grass with you. Perhaps Professor Peach can get something out of this."

Peter nodded his head, "I will be back at Beacon post haste, see you soon Headmaster." and with that, the scroll call cut off, and Ozpin was left with silence.

Right up until Ozpin slammed his fist into his desk, making a loud bang echo throughout his office.

What was going on? None of this made any sense, first one of his prospective students has a semblance allowing him to control Grimm, then these creatures, and now some mystery acid wiping away any trace of their existence?

None of this boded well…and it left him with no other choice than the actions he had decided upon before he had named the teams.

He plugged his scroll into his desk, and quickly pulled up a secondary contact list, _'Headmasters'_ , was the title, and he immediately pressed the first contact on the list.

Within seconds, his screen lit up, and he found himself staring at the smiling face of an older man with pale skin and black hair going silver along the edges, a metal strip on his forehead with blue eyes. He wore a white overcoat with a red necktie.

The mans smile grew as he looked upon Ozpin's face, "Ozpin, it's been too long old friend."

Ozpin smiled back in response, "I concur James, how have things been at Atlas Academy?"

James chuckled as he reached into his pouch, and pulled out a flask, dangling it in front of the camera, "You tell me Ozpin." he immediately took a long swig, and let out a sigh of satisfaction, "I swear these kids are going to be the death of me before I ever see another Grimm again."

Ozpin smirked, a laugh escaping his lips, "One can only hope James, one can only hope."

James chuckled back, letting out a sigh, before his lips curled downward, and a single eyebrow rose up, "You normally don't call me for pleasantries Ozpin, what's going on?"

The white haired headmaster took in a deep breath, as he took a sip from his coffee mug, "You are right James, this is fact not a pleasantry call, it is business, _urgent_ business." he leaned forward, interlocking his fingers as he looked into James' eyes, "Is this a secure line James?"

James looked at his old friend in confusion, "Of course Ozpin, why do you-"

"This cannot be known to anyone beyond our circle James, is this line secure, _completely_ secure?" his tone made clear the seriousness of his question.

James was silent, his face hardening, nodding, "Yes, it is secure."

Ozpin remained still for but a moment, until he reached over to his scroll, pressing a single button, "I am sending you a recording from Beacon initiation, I want to you to watch it, and then erase it entirely. Leave no trace of it on your system."

James nodded his head as a ding signified the arrival of Ozpin's message, and he quickly opened the file.

And pressed play on the recording.

The headmaster of Beacon watched as the headmaster of Atlas, and General of the Atlesian military watched the recording.

Watched as his old friend, who had seen all matter of horrors outside the walls, grew wide eyed and confused, as shock overtook his features.

The video ended, and James was still, disbelief and awe were the primary emotions clear on his face, his gaze shifting to look at Ozpin, "O-Ozpin, that…what was tha-"

"How soon can you be here James?" Ozpin asked, his tone leaving no room for argument.

James was quiet, before he closed the video, and held his head in his hands, taking a deep breath as he answered, "I can be there in a week, I just need to make sure that my deputy-headmaster is told beforehand."

The headmaster of Beacon nodded his head, "That is agreeable, and James, I need you to be discreet, nothing larger than an Atlesian Bullhead, I don't want to start a panic."

James looked back at Ozpin, "I understand." he interlocked his fingers, a stoic look coming to his fears, though Ozpin could see the trembling in his hands, "By your leave, I will see you in a week, perhaps sooner if all is well."

"Very well then, until then James." he reached over to click the end call button, before he immediately began to scroll down the contact list, pulling up another name on the scroll.

After a single ring, the scroll opened up, and a feminine voice echoed in his office, "Little Ozzy, how's Vale this time of year?"

Ozpin smiled at the woman on the scroll, "I could ask the same of you about Mistral, you Old Witch."

A feminine laugh followed afterwards, "Oh Ozpin, you know just how to make an old girl blush."

* * *

After the naming of their teams, a small celebration took place in the cafeteria, there was cake, brownies, and much to the joy of one Nora Valkyrie, pancakes. They even had a table filled with cookies, which Yang had to pry Ruby away from, much to the girls protests, "Nooo! My cookies!''

Yang had swiftly shanghaied Blake into helping, which was making the dark haired girl groan as the young reaper was surprisingly difficult to pin down, "They'll give you diabetes Ruby, think of your thighs!" Blake implored with Ruby.

The young girl shook her head, "Don't care, cookies!"

Blake grunted as she yelled to the side, "Weiss, could you give us a hand here?"

Weiss was just standing there, a cup of Mistralian Rum in one hand, and a slice of Vacuan style pizza in the other, a smirk on her lips, "Oh, I wish I could, but it would seem my hands are full." she said with a grin coming to her lips.

That had ended in Yang and Blake sized hole in the floor, as Ruby used their momentary distraction to bolt towards the table, making her sister and her sisters partner fall onto the floor with enough force to leave a sizeable dent.

Meanwhile, Ruby was shoveling cookies into her mouth, and smacking anybody who got too close.

 _Hard!_

Meanwhile, Nora was standing on top of the table with a massive pile of pancakes, and she was quickly pouring a concoction of Forever Falls syrup and Mistralian Rum, while Ren watched on.

Jaune and Pyrrha stood by, "So, is this-"

"Yes, yes it is." Ren responded as he took a sip of his own drink, a cup of Vacuan cactus liquor, while Jaune sipped on what he thought was Valean whiskey, while Pyrrha enjoyed a Mistralian Rum mixed with Atlesian Vodka.

Nora finally finished with her concoction, and grinned, "Yeeees, it is all mine!" she leapt upon the food with the ferocity of a Beowulf, wolfing it down savagely, horrifying all those present.

Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened, and after a single look at each other, they quickly downed their drinks and ran back to the bar yelling in unison, "Refill!"

After the party had died down, and everyone had sufficiently celebrated, the upperclassmen began to direct the teams to their dorms. One by one, they dropped each team off, with BLST and AMAT across the way from CRDL, and several others sharing a dorm area, until only RWBY and JNPR were left over.

They were directed to a portion of the dorms that seemed further from the others, "There were more graduates than anticipated, so these Dorms have been opened up to your teams." the upperclassmen directed them inside.

The Dorms were relatively simple, but unlike the others, who were all connected to the same communal gathering area, the two teams had their own place between the two of them, with a kitchen, a furnished living room area, and showers.

Pyrrha frowned as she looked up at the upperclassmen, who could already tell what Pyrrha wanted to ask, "The only reason your two teams were chosen to take up this space was because team names were drawn from a hat." they said with finality, "The Headmaster and Goodwitch could not care less about your names and reputations if they tried." they turned away, "If that is all, I will leave you all to get acquainted with your dorms, good night." and with that, their escort walked away, leaving RWBY and JNPR to their own devices.

Yang yawned loudly as she felt her exhaustion fully catch up with her, "Well, I don't know about you all, but I am gonna get some sleep."

The others were swift to agree, as they all began to pile in to their rooms.

Before Yang and Weiss could enter their rooms however, Pyrrha stopped them, "Wait, please." she asked, or rather, implored, her eyes shifting to Jaune, who stumbled into the room of team JNPR, before she looked back at Yang and Weiss, "What do I do if he has another panic attack?" she asked with worry, making Yang and Weiss look at each other, a flash of concern passing over their features.

Weiss looked at JNPR's room, the door still open, seeing Jaune begin to unpack his bags.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll, "We'll exchange contact information, for now if something happens, just give us a call and we'll be right over." Yang pulled out her own scroll as well.

"Yeah, don't be afraid to hit us up if something happens, okay?" she smiled softly at Pyrrha, who quickly brought out her own scroll.

"Y-yeah…" Pyrrha was quiet, it wasn't the best solution, but they didn't have another one.

Weiss and Yang quickly gave their contact information as Pyrrha did the same. Pyrrha out away her scroll as Yang placed her hand on the redheads shoulder, "It's going to be alright Pyrrha, I promise."

Pyrrha glanced back at the dorm that she'd be staying in for the next four years, as she saw her partner get jumped on by a cackling Nora, "I hope so." she whispered softly, as she turned back to Yang and Weiss, "Good night, Yang, Weiss."

Yang and Weiss waved back, "Night Pyrrha." they said almost in unison, and with that, the three of them separated for the night.

Pyrrha's fist clenched behind her back, a single thought passing through her mind, _'I hope so.'_

* * *

The dorm room of JNPR was quiet, all of them having fallen asleep, except for one blonde swordsman, who continued to stare out of the window, looking at the moon.

His eyes did not wander, his mind whirling with questions he had no answers to, which only brought forth a million others.

Were they right? Was his power over Grimm _just_ a semblance?

' _The Grimm are of The Darkness, Jaune, do you understand?'_ his mothers words continued to echo in his mind in response to his question. What if she was right, what if this power came from The Darkness, what if she had been right all these years?

Those questions sprang forth, even as he repeated Yang's words to himself, _'A semblance is the manifestation of more than our soul, it's an extension of who we are. Our thoughts, dreams, hopes, and fears all determine the nature of our semblance.'_ his hands curled into fists, _'Jaune, you can command the Grimm, not because of The Darkness, but because of you.'_ his fists slowly began to loosen as he repeated her words in his mind _'You are the one in control, not a myth, not The Darkness, you.'_

He wanted to believe that, he so desperately wanted to believe that, but how could he go against what he'd been taught his whole life?

And then there was Ozpin, he had seen his eyes linger on him when he was announcing teams, did that mean he knew?

And if he did know, what did that mean for him?

He rubbed his eyes, _'Nothing I can do about it tonight.'_ he rolled over, getting comfortable beneath the covers, closing his eyes as he waited for sleep to take him.

One minute ticked by, then two, as Jaune felt the sensation of sleep begin to take him, and for once, he did not worry about nightmares.

A smile came to his lips as he felt his consciousness fade, and embraced the warmth of sleep.

The room was silent, the moon of Remnant shining its light, as clouds began to form overhead, and began to block out the light of the moon, shrouding the dorm of JNPR in darkness.

And with it, came an unsettling cold.

Nora curled up in her bed in an attempt to get warm, as Ren unconsciously shifted beneath the covers, while Pyrrha shivered in her sleep.

Only Jaune remained unaffected, even as his breath became visible in the cold.

' _Hsssss'_ a sound echoed within the room, as the dark corners of the room began to writhe, as the darkness itself seemed to come to life.

Jaune remained still, as the darkness slithered towards him, converging upon his sleeping form, the writhing darkness wrapped around his bedframe, as it began to rise, _'Hsssss'_ that same sound springing forth from seemingly everywhere, as the darkness and shadow leaned above the sleeping blonde, his eyes closed as its form began to shift.

The shadows form began to narrow, the end looking upon Jaune splitting open, and a foul breath wafted forth, like the stench of a hundred decaying corpses, making the sleeping blonde scrunch up his nose in response.

"Grrrn." suddenly, the shadow snapped its gaze towards the sound, its form pointed in the direction of the sleeping Pyrrha.

' _Hssss'_ the shadow shivered, as it slowly slinked away from Jaune, slithering across the floor, wrapping itself around Pyrrha's bedframe, rising above the redhead, as it continued to change.

Leather-like skin erupt from the shadows form, as its face began to split, revealing a haunting and sickly yellow glow, much like the Grimm in the forest, but so very much worse.

The shadow leaned over Pyrrha, its 'eyes' narrowing, as a long 'tongue' began to slither from its 'mouth'.

When all of a sudden, the shadow leaned back, its 'mouth' opened wide, as long pristine and lethal looking white fangs sprung forth, the sound of tearing flesh echoing in the room as it shot towards the sleeping Pyrrha-

"No!" Jaune shot up from his bed, gasping as he threw off the covers-

Only to find himself staring at his sleeping teammates, as the moon of Remnant illuminated the room.

Jaune was frozen mid motion, his leg thrown over his bedside, his covers now off of the bed as he looked at his teammates.

Nora, Ren…Pyrrha?

Pyrrha remained curled up beneath her covers, her eyes still closed as she breathed softly in the night.

Jaune looked around at the room, "I-it…was just a dream." he told himself, as he crawled back into his bed, grabbing his covers before he slowly closed his eyes.

Just a dream.

As Jaune slowly returned to sleep, his bedframe creaked, as a pair of sickly yellow eyes stared out from beneath.

* * *

The forest was eerily quiet, this was known by the figure who stood atop the trees, staring out at the immense tower in the distance.

The figure was enshrouded in a thick cloak which covered their head, but displayed their glowing red eyes perfectly.

They watched the wind brush against the trees, watched as the river flowed…

Watched as the Grimm stood still, their yellow eyes glowing in the night.

The figure clenched its fist, looking down at the Grimm, which one of their own had told them had obeyed the order of one of the frail ones.

Its eyes narrowed, turning to look at the tower in the distance.

The frail ones would be within those walls, beyond its reach.

Hissing in the night, they leapt into the forest, turning on their heel as they made to their home.

The frail ones had commanded the monsters, the frail ones had taken three brothers from her.

The frail ones would pay, in due time.

For tonight however, she had a delivery to make to the elders.

As she ran forth, shadows sprung from the trees, dark skinned red eyed giants, holding a rope as they dragged a single Beowulf behind them.

They had questions, and perhaps the monsters had answers.

The figures vanished in the night, leaving not a trace of their existence, as their footprints seemed to burn away as a white fog followed behind them.

* * *

 **AN:** We hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did, please show your support by leaving a review, leave your thoughts and criticisms in the review section.

Wow, this didn't take us very long, huh, not sure why, was just really in the 'this must be written right now' mood for some reason. Either way, we hope you all liked the chapter.

Amethyst Rilo is an OC created by Leaf Ranger.

Azura Soutora is an OC created by Uzumaki Ricky.

Sial Rubus is an OC created by dracohalo117.

Marth Pierce, Taji Onko, Beryll Aestus, Layton Scarlet and Tekola Nisla are OC's created by dracohalo117 in conjunction with Leaf Ranger and Uzumaki Ricky.

Anybody want to take a guess at the inspiration behind them? Leave your guess in the review section and if you get it right, you will get a shout-out in the next chapter.

 **Question:** Why are people defending Raven for abandoning her daughter, when they give Taiyang shit for making a joke on Yang losing her arm when Yang clearly wasn't offended by it? Could somebody PLEASE that question in a review?

 **Now to Answer Questions:**

1\. Jaune isn't familiar with sarcasm?: Not as well as he would have been had he not been so sheltered, in a nutshell, he gets sarcasm to a certain degree, but he has severe blind spots.

2\. Pyrrha isn't able to work in a tea?: Yes and no, anybody who has been in a fight can tell you that fighting a group by yourself is different from fighting alongside one another, especially in close quarters. When you are by yourself, any swing you make will be focused on an enemy, but with a group you have to constantly take into account the people you are fighting alongside so they do not get caught in the crossfire. Pyrrha was a skillful student, a champion, but, her skills in combat I see would be more focused on fighting by herself, while her capabilities in a group setting would be more varied.

3\. Why didn't Cardin tell everybody what he saw happen?: Remember Nora's response in the Emerald Forest, remember Ren's reaction, and then imagine what likely would have happened to Cardin had he told everybody that. He could have pressed record, though at the time his mind hadn't caught up with the situation, how could he have?

4\. Rye'lee and Rhodes Rayne?: Imagine a combination between Tom and Jerry and Wiley Coyote and the Road Runner...but in the Remnant universe.

5\. Will the OC's play a larger role in the fic?: To a degree perhaps, but the primary focus of this fic is Jaune, though I decided to introduce these OC's, they are planned on being the focus of a future fanfic, figured it would be a good idea to show them off here.

6\. Is Taji part of that tribe Raven is from in Volume 4?: No, Taji was created midway Volume 3, before Volume 4 aired. His clan was created before we got an inkling of who Raven was, though admittedly Raven's mask was one of the foundations for Taji back in Volume 2, clan Onko in this case being the ones who taught certain White Fang members who then influenced the White Fang to start wearing Grimm Masks. So, no, Taji is not part of Raven's tribe, and Raven is not part of Taji's clan.

7\. Who is Ozpin calling in Mistral?: Before anybody starts saying it is Salem, remember, this story was planned out before Volume 3 was even aired, so no, it isn't Salem and it isn't Cinder, you will have to wait until the next chapter to see the identity of the one he was calling.

8\. Was that The Darkness inside JNPR's room?: You tell me, was it The Darkness, or Jaune's nightmares?

 **Attention!** : I am asking those of you who read my stories, and read the stories of others, to hear me out.

I have been on FanFiction for a long time, so long that the only reason I remember when I got on FanFiction is because the day I started FanFiction, an important event happened in my life. Over the years I have seen so many authors publish great works, wonderful and elaborate stories that I tried to emulate as I tried to perfect my own writing style.

At the same time though, I saw many stories and many authors go unappreciated. I have seen authors give up on FanFiction because they receive so few hits and reviews. Now note, I understand many of you don't have the time in a day to read every single story on FanFiction, I dedicate hours of my day to FanFiction and I still don't get to as many stories as I would like to get to. But some of these authors I feel are working so hard on their Fanfics, and aren't getting the praise and fanbase that the amount of effort and careful detailing they put into their work deserves.

Hell, I know of at least a couple Fanfic authors who are considering leaving the site because they are unappreciated.

I know, I know, many of you will say that you shouldn't write for anyone other than yourself, I get that. However, I can admit that although I write for myself, I feel down whenever my work isn't appreciated by others, especially when I put so much time and effort into it.

Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Rise of the White Wolf-The White Wulf

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-Legacy-Greatcow

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

I surely will recall more stories that I feel deserve more recognition for the work their authors put in them, but for now, please check out these stories, they are a fantastic read, and deserve more attention than they are getting.


	7. The Departure and Divergence

**Disclaimer:** Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchlade, orArtifacts in any way, shape or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and is the creation of Monty Oum…The Darkness, Witchblade and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice:** This story, and just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon, we will be extracting elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Also, our sincerest apologies this took so long, admittedly, we've been stuck on this part for almost two months, but sadly, dracohalo117 works multiple jobs and is rarely home, also his laptop has basically died more or less. Leaf Ranger also has his own concerns to deal with as well.

Now without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

Also please check out the **polls** on dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger's profiles.

 **Please show your support...read, write, review, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons...**

* * *

The Kingdom of Atlas was a sight to behold, nearly every inch of Atlas held a unique piece of history that was displayed in the architecture and aesthetics of the Kingdom. Tall towers of stone and metal, fortresses that at one time were battlements, now made into universities and homes. Even the lower income areas had an aesthetic which showed that the masons and architects that built these homes put forth their blood, sweat and tears into the laying of each brick, and carving of each inch of marble.

Even the more modern additions to the Kingdom had an appearance which showed the care that was put into each inch of the architecture to make it stand out like no other.

The only exceptions to this feature of the Kingdom, were the military bases which dotted the Kingdom. Form was replaced with functionality, though insignia's and art pieces decorated the structures, the structures themselves were designed with the sole purpose of function rather over form.

One such base sat in the shadow of the illustrious Atlas academy, which stood out even amongst the other structures of Atlas, its high towers and thick walls, and its unique location made it a sight to behold.

The Academy sat atop a great peak just past the walls of the Kingdom, with the military base sitting at the base of the same peak. Its walls were carved from the mountain itself, and all across its surface were ornate carvings, each telling a great tale of the Kingdom. The incline leading up to the academy accented by towering statues, and a massive staircase carved from the mountain itself.

The military base that sat in its shadow on the other hand, was plain in comparison, and it was on this military base that one General James Ironwood walked along the pathways towards the air field on the base, followed by a man a good three inches taller than him, adorned in Atlesian military garb, a thick black beard upon his face, a pair of black sunglasses, and a thick mane of hair tied back in a ponytail.

James Ironwood was looking at a scroll in his hand, as he was reading off a list as it scrolled down the screen, "Your duties while I am gone will include the day to day routines of this facility along with the other five directly affiliated facilities. Additionally you will be charged with responding to any immediate threat in the manner designated by Atlas protocol." he paused mid step and turned to regard the man behind him, who immediately stopped, moving to an at ease position as James held out the Scroll to him, "Finally, you will be charged with the day to day classes, paperwork and upkeep of Atlas academy, and overlook all relevant resources being diverted to the Preparatory academies, do you understand Lieutenant General Basterson?"

The Lieutenant clicked his heels together and immediately saluted, "Yes, General Ironwood, Sir."

James nodded in approval, though a smile tugged at his lips, "At ease, Robert." he said passing the scroll to Robert.

The now named Robert simply grinned in response as he rested at ease, sliding the scroll into his pocket, "At ease? Where is the uptight James Ironwood I know and loathe?" he began to laugh boisterously, as James joined him in the laugh.

Passing soldiers briefly glanced over to the two laughing CO's, before immediately returning to their duties.

Finally, the two military men stopped laughing, and James smirked at him, "I will be leaving shortly, I am placing my trust in you Robert, however, I have the Vice Admiral and Air Marshal's assisting you until my return."

Robert snorted in response, "And you say you trust me?"

James frowned as a single eyebrow rose up, "Do I need to mention the blizzard incident?"

Robert simply waved it off, "It was one misfire, could have happened to anyone."

James crossed his arms, "That being said, they will be assisting you while I am away."

The Lieutenant General frowned at his commanding officer, "Why _are_ you going to Vale so early? The Vytal Festival isn't for another three months." he then gestured over to the airfield, "And with only a single Bullhead and escort, that isn't your style James."

James glanced over to the airway to his Bullhead, which was being prepared, "The matter requires a level of, delicacy, that my usual methods don't really allow."

Robert's eyebrows noticeably rose, "Must be something pretty delicate for you to not bring your warship."

James rolled his eyes, "It isn't _my_ warship, it belongs to the Atlas military."

The bearded Lieutenant General scoffed in amusement, "Whatever you say James." he looked over at the airfield, and noticed everyone beginning to clear the area, "Well, looks like they are finished prepping your ship, you may want to get going before they decide they don't need you to take off."

James chuckled, "Yeah, I may as well." James clicked his heels together, and saluted Robert, who did the same, "By your leave, Lieutenant General Bastard Son."

Robert glowered at James, "It's Basterson."

James smirked as he turned on his heel, and headed off to the airway, while Robert turned towards the base, grumbling under his breath.

Several minutes later, James finds himself on the airfield, marching towards the waiting Bullhead, being guarded by two Atlas military soldiers, one wearing blue armor and the other wearing red.

James saluted the two soldiers as he ascended the ramp into the Bullhead, as the two soldiers swiftly followed behind him.

A low hiss escaped the hydraulics of the ramp as it began to ascend as the red soldiers foot fully entered the bullhead, swiftly closing behind them.

James looked around at the Bullhead interior, it was clearly designed for officers, given its more luxurious amenities, as well as the lack of uniformity in its design. He chose a single seat in front of a small round table fastened to the floor, as he reached for his seatbelt.

Meanwhile, the two soldiers had taken their own seats, the red one leaning over, "When did we get seatbelts on a Bullhead?"

The blue one snorted as he watched Ironwood fasten their seatbelt, "Take a guess." he gestured to Ironwood.

After the General had fastened his seatbelt he pressed the com on his seat, "We are ready for takeoff."

Up in the cockpit, the pilot nodded his head, "Air control this is Bullhead C137, are we clear?"

The screen in front of the pilot came to life, and another soldier in Atlesian armor nodded, _"This is air control to C137, you are clear for takeoff, proceed."_

The pilot nodded, "Acknowledged, C137 away."

The Bullhead began its ascent from the airfield, before it began to fly towards the edge of the airfield, over the snowy fields surrounding the Kingdom of Atlas.

The Bullhead swooped low over the icy tundra, as the seemingly endless blizzard of the Kingdom pressed against them, the Bullhead cutting through it like a hot knife through butter.

As the Bullhead passed through the endless snow, the snow billowed and rose, the winds of the ice covered Kingdom pushing up clouds of snow.

As the snow rose and fell, the snow began to part, as a single figure began to pass through the frozen water that clung to its black fur, while its yellow eyes peered forth in the same direction that the Bullhead was taking its flight.

The figure silently pushed its clawed paws through the snow, as it followed in the Bullhead's wake, as two the blistering snow touched winds were parted by more black furred figures with the same yellow eyes.

* * *

The light of the rising sun began to wash over the Emerald Forest, the oranges and reds of the sun bouncing off the morning dew dotting the leaves, making the Emerald Forest appear as if diamonds had sprouted from the branches.

Meanwhile, in the dorm room of team JNPR, a certain crimson haired Mistralian rolled over in her bed, her eyes shut as she savored the warmth of her covers.

'Briiiing…Briiiing…Briiiing

Only for her eyes to scrunch, groaning in annoyance as she pulled her arm out from under the covers, and haphazardly reached for the scroll on her desk.

Fumbling with the piece of technology, she looked at the scroll, her squinted eyes staring at the text on the front of her scroll.

'Incoming Call-Mom'

Her squinted eyes looked forward with confusion as she slid her finger across the surface of the scroll, "Hello, mother?" she asked tiredly, awaiting for a response on the other end.

" _Hiya big sis!"_ Pyrrha jolted in bed as the loud voice echoed from the phone, and her eyes went from being barely opened to wide as saucers as her ears rang from the loud noise as her hand shot to the speakers on the scroll, before shooting a nervous and somewhat panicked glance to her teammates.

A breath of relief escaped her lips as she saw they were still asleep, and she turned her gaze to the scroll, showing the nervous face of a girl, she looked to be no older than twelve, and her hair was a soft mahogany color, with onyx colored eyes which seemed to shimmer with child-like innocence, her skin tanned to a bronze color.

The little girl stared back at her, a sheepish grin coming to her face, _"Oops, sorry, I was just so excited to hear from you big sis."_ the girl giggled nervously.

Pyrrha smiled back at the giggling child as she whispered, "It's alright Petra." she beamed back at her younger sister, "It's good to see you too." she said whilst adjusting herself in her bed to get more comfortable, while she rose a single eyebrow "So why do you have Moms scroll?"

Petra grinned back at her sister, _"I wanted to say hi to you Pyrrha."_ she pouted, _"After all, you said you'd call us when you got to Beacon but you never did."_

Pyrrha chuckled nervously, "I am sorry Petra, a lot came up upon my arrival, I barely had a chance to breathe, let alone make a scroll call." she beamed back at her little sister, as a question passed her lips, "So, how have things been back home?"

Petra grinned in response, _"It's been great, we went to the fair yesterday!"_ she said with a loud squeal, before her gaze suddenly turned harsh, or at least as harsh as she could manage, _"Something we weren't able to since last time."_

Pyrrha chuckled sheepishly, "True, true…" suddenly, a smirk came to the crimson haired Mistralians lips, "Still, you never had a problem keeping Mr. Puffles." she chuckled as Petra suddenly blushed in embarrassment.

The younger Mistralian stammered as she tried to come up with a response, _"W-well, I couldn't j-just get rid of him."_ she said pouting as she turned away. Before her gaze shifted back to Pyrrha, _"So, how is Beacon?"_

Pyrrha froze internally at the question, as her sister awaited a response.

Briefly, her gaze shifted back to her sleeping teammates, or more accurately, Jaune.

Her gaze returned to Petra, who now looked at her in confusion, "W-well, it has been nice so far."

Petra tilted her head, _"Oh? How so?"_

Pyrrha looked around at the dorm, "Well, my partner is nice, and so is my team." she smiled at Petra with the most reassuring grin she could, "The people here seem really nice."

Her younger sister stared back at her, _"What are they like? Your team I mean."_

Pyrrha bit her lower lip, "Well, my teammate Nora is very rambunctious, but she is brilliant in her own way." she said honestly, "Her partner Ren is hard to read, he seems to be very introverted."

A moment of silence passed as Petra tilted her head, staring at Pyrrha, _"What about your partner?"_ the question was so innocent.

And yet the moment the question reach Pyrrha's ears, her heart began to race, her gaze shifting to her sleeping partner.

What could she say? What could she tell without giving more than she should? He was on the run from his village, he faked his way into Beacon, he could command Grimm?

Pyrrha glanced back at Petra, "Well he is-"

" _Petra!"_ a sudden loud voice echoed in the background, as the young girl froze up, while a hand reached out and grabbed the scroll, _"Young lady what did I say about using my scroll?"_ the voice had a stern tone, and Pyrrha found her spine stiffening as the voice on the other end of the scroll sternly spoke to Petra.

Petra's voice stammered on the other side, _"B-but Mom-"_

" _No buts. You know the rules young lady, now march up to your room and get ready for bed, it is late."_ the woman spoke sternly on the other end, as a loud groan from Petra sprung forth from the scroll speakers, and the pitter patter of footsteps leaving the vicinity echoed from the speakers.

A loud sigh escaped the womands lips as she brought the scroll up, revealing a woman with similarly tanned skin as Petra, with bronze colored eyes and black, shoulder length hair. Her lips curled into a smile as she looked at Pyrrha, _"Hey there sweetheart."_

Pyrrha beamed back at the woman, "Hello Mother, it's great to see you." her mother chuckled as she waved her hand to the side.

" _Oh for the Gods sake Pyrrha you've been gone less than a week, you can't miss me that terribly already."_ she spoke with a teasing tone.

Pyrrha playfully rolled her eyes, "Mother, you barely let me leave Mistral until father convinced you."

Pyrrha's mother gasped, _"Gaah! Such scandalous words, why, I have never been anything less than supportive of you going to Beacon."_ she said turning her head with a huff.

Pyrrha could not stop the giggle from escaping her lips as her mother childishly pouted, "Careful mother, if you hold that face for too long it will stay that way." she looked closer at the scroll, "And is that a lying dot I see on your forehead?" a grin spread across her lips as her mother frowned, her gaze returning to look at Pyrrha.

" _You are never going to let me live that down, I swear."_ she grumbled in annoyance as Pyrrha continued to laugh at her expense.

Pyrrha's laughter finally died down, and she smiled at her mother, her gaze turning soft, "It really is great to see you mother."

Her mother sighed as her features shifted, a soft smile touched her cheeks, _"Pyrrha, I know you wanted to stretch your wings, but couldn't you have done it here in Mistral?"_ her smile became sad as her gaze shifted downwards, _"I don't like the idea of you being so far away from us."_

A soft sigh escaped Pyrrha's lips, "Mother, I know you want to keep me safe, but I have to be able to protect myself." she chuckled softly, "After all, I am training to be a huntress after all."

Her mother snapped her head up, her eyes holding deep concern, _"But why couldn't you do that here?"_ her eyes held a desperate need to know, to understand.

The red haired Mistralian let out a long sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Mother, because of my status in Mistral I wouldn't know a moments peace, even here I was lucky to find a few willing to look past my image. But in Mistral I wouldn't be able to learn anything, not really." her gaze became hard as her mind conjured images of Mistral and the student body of Haven.

She was famous throughout Remnant, but especially in Mistral, she couldn't go anywhere without being recognized, surrounded at all times by fans and people who only saw her image, not her.

Her body shivered as she thought of being surrounded by that at all times, and no doubt those would be the least of her concerns, what if the staff were no different, or worse, what if they were sycophants?

She looked over to Ren, remembering how her lack of genuine skill in team combat could have gotten him badly injured, or worse.

She looked back at her mother, her gaze still holding that same motherly concern, "I can learn more here at Beacon, than I can learn at Haven, this I know." she smiled, "Besides, I already have a team, I can't exactly drop all of them and then go to Haven right?"

Her mothers gaze softened, and an equally soft laugh escaped her lips, _"No, I suppose you couldn't."_ she shook her head, _"I just can't help but worry about you my little one."_

Pyrrha suddenly burst into a quiet laughter, "Little one, I am the same height as you mother." she chuckled as her mother pouted indignantly.

" _Yes ha ha, laugh it up sweetheart."_ she huffed with a cheekish grin, _"You're still my little girl."_ her eyes closed and a sigh escaped her lips, _"I'll let you go now sweetie, it was good to hear from you."_

Pyrrha smiled back at her mother, "It was good to hear from you too mother, send father my love."

The black haired Mistralian nodded her head, _"I will do so sweetheart, and I'll do the same for your sisters too."_

Pyrrha chuckled, "Yes of course, how could I forget." she asked rhetorically as her eyes fluttered, and a yawn escaped her lips.

Pyrrha's mother smiled at her red haired daughter, the lips curving down into a thin lipped expression, _"May the God of Protection watch over you my child."_

Pyrrha blinked back at her mother, a warm expression gracing her features, "And may the God of Protection give me the strength to watch over others."

Her mother nodded her head, and the scroll went blank as the call ended.

Pyrrha closed her eyes, placing her scroll on her night stand, reaching for the covers to enjoy a few more moments of slee-

'Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep'

Only for her eyes to snap open as the alarm on her scroll went off just as she was about to get comfortable.

' _Gods damn it.'_

* * *

Beacon Academy was one of four major academies in the world of Remnant, its home was Vale, one of the four Kingdoms of Remnant that were still standing after the Great War. The Kingdom of Vale had several preparatory academies; Signal, Siren, Flare and Lantern were just a few, it was these preparatory academies that helped would be huntresses and huntsman to hone their craft and prepare them for the career they had chosen to enter.

Beacon was where the strongest of these trainees went to refine themselves.

Beacon took the unsharpened edges of the swords of those who would rise up to defend the Kingdoms from the Grimm and made them keen, not just physically, but mentally. For Beacon was not just a place of physical empowerment, but mental and spiritual as well.

Beacon's resources were dedicated to ensuring their students had the physical capabilities to not only match the Grimm, but also the mental fortitude and cunning to be able to end a fight as decisively as possible, or whether to avoid one to live another day.

To accommodate this, Beacon had facilities to ensure that they had everything that they needed to ensure that their students were equipped to handle the threat of the Grimm, which included a bunker beneath the school which held the sole purpose of holding Grimm to be fought in a controlled environment, giving the students a chance to fight their sworn foe in relative safety.

The bunker would usually be filled with the sounds of snarls and roars from the dozens upon dozens of Grimm stored down here, but as the Headmaster of Beacon stood with Glynda, Peter and Bartholomew in front of the cage of a Boarbatusk, it was not the roars of this plethora of Grimm echoing in their ears that greeted them.

It was the glowing yellow eyes staring back at them from behind reinforced steel cages and the absolute silence that made even Ozpin unsteady.

Ozpin got down on his knee, staring through the bars into the four glowing eyes of the Boarbatusk before him, as docile as a trained puppy.

"I won't be able to do any practical examinations if the Grimm remain like this." the portly professor mentioned as Ozpin returned to both feet, "I can't tell stories of my past hunts all day, I certainly can't grade my classes on them either." he said softly, his exhaustion clear in his voice.

Ozpin looked towards Peter, "In that case, it seems we will need to adjust our planned lessons, dramatically I might add." his gaze shifted to Bartholomew, "Doctor Oobleck, you will need to assist Peter with planning out additional lessons until we can get this matter resolved."

The bespectacled doctor frowned, looking down towards his thermos strapped to his belt, grumbling under his breath.

Ozpin didn't quite catch what was said, but he could have sworn he heard 'need more coffee'.

As the Doctor grumbled about his lack of coffee, Ozpin turned his attention towards the blonde Professor at his side, "Has there been any news from Professor Peach in regards to the sample Peter brought to her?" by now both Peter and Bart were giving their full attention to Glynda.

"She did manage to send me a preliminary report, however the only thing she was able to gleam from a cursory study is that whatever it was that destroyed the bodies of those, _creatures_ …is that the damage done to the surrounding area matches the type of damage caused by a powerful form of acidic agent. However until she does a more in depth study that is all we can be certain of."

Ozpin's lips curled downwards into a frown, "That gives us a possible explanation on why we have no physical evidence of these creatures on file, but that doesn't tell us how they've remained hidden from us until now."

Oobleck brought his hand to his jaw, massaging his chin idly, "Yes, this is a conundrum, given their sheer size and aggressive behavior, it is liable at least one such creature would have been spotted at some point." he let out a breath and reached for his thermos, "Though it is possible that those that fought them had any claims of them existing dismissed as being a new form of Grimm." he took a sip from his thermos, "After all, if their bodies are being destroyed by something, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch to presume them Grimm of some kind, assuming there were survivors to tell the tale."

Ozpin nodded his head, "Agreed, though perhaps there is somebody who has seen them." he looked back towards Glynda, "Have the Librarian check our archives, see if there is any mention of some humanoid Grimm, go back five years, if nothing turns up keep going from there." as Glynda made a note on her clipboard, he turned to Bart and Peter, "In the meantime, we have a great deal of work to do, the students shall be awakening soon."

Oobleck nodded his head, "Quite right, we shall send a message out noting that Grimm studies are cancelled until further notice." he said while pulling out his scroll, "This will give Peter and I time to work on the adjusted class schedules." he said whilst grabbing Peter by the shoulder as the two of them headed towards the exit.

Ozpin shook his head as he watched them leave, "Ahem…" his gaze suddenly shifting to regard his last remaining colleague, who was looking at him with a concerned gaze.

He regarded her with his full attention, "Was there something you'd like to say Miss Goodwitch?"

Glynda was quiet, her gaze turning to the yellow eyed Boarbatusk, staring at them with those glowing eyes, "Ozpin, I am worried." she looked back at him, "No matter how much we account for variables, this whole situation is just-" she was quiet, unable to find the words.

"Insane?" Ozpin stated, more than asked, "You don't have to mince words with me Glynda, I know exactly how unexpected everything that has happened in the last forty eight hours have been." he gestured to the Boarbatusk, "On one hand, we have a student whose Semblance has rendered Grimm passive to their more aggressive natures and allows him to command them…" he gestured to the school above him, "…we have an unknown creature, or race of creatures which attacked our students with…" he lowered his hand, "…and we may have somebody capable of making forgeries able to fool us, no matter how I looked at Jaune Arc's transcripts, nothing about them implied they were anything less than the legitimate document, they even have the correct seals, signatures and tracking numbers to indicate a legitimate document."

Glynda was quiet, her eyes closing as a heavy sigh escaped her lips, "Things are changing aren't they?"

Ozpin let out a snort of laughter, "Everything changes Glynda, we're just seeing change happen more drastically." he smiled back at her, "But you are right, things are changing." his smile became stiff as it slowly descended into a frown, "Whether they are for better or worse, we will find out in due time."

Glynda nodded her head, "Yes, in due time." she looked over at the Boarbatusk, her gaze thoughtful as she began to speak, "With the Grimm more docile in the area, it would appear we have a bit more time on our schedule to do as we please." she turned her gaze back to Ozpin, "Perhaps we could spend some time in Vale, perhaps this coming end of the week? There is this new coffee shop that we could stop by at." she mentioned with a small smile coming to her lips.

Ozpin was quiet, his breathing steady, until he took a slow but deep breath, "I am afraid that will not be possible, I am expecting a few individuals to arrive by weeks end and I am unable to reschedule the matter."

Glynda lightly bit her lip, so briefly and lightly Ozpin almost did not catch it, "In that case, perhaps we should take a rain check?"

Ozpin was quiet, for longer than an instant, but eventually he did answer, "Yes, a rain check."

Glynda seemed pleased at that response, "We can discuss more at length another time Headmaster." she lightly bowed her head, before turning on her heel, the clicking of her heels on the stone floor fading as she exited the area, leaving Ozpin alone to stare at the lone Boarbatusk.

The white haired headmaster let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as his eyes dimmed ever so slightly, his free hand reaching to his pocket and grabbing onto a white chain just barely hanging out of the edge of the pocket, slowly pulling it out and with a steady movement of his fingers, placed it and the object it was attached to in his palm.

On the end of the white chain, was a locket made of white stone with gold trimming, a black circle on the front with a name emblazoned on the black circle in white letter which looked to have faded over the years.

Ozpin dragged his fingers along the edge, and flicked open the locket, staring at the pictures inside.

His eyes lit up, a smile coming to his lips as his pupils grew while his irises seemed to dance with a renewed life, and even his shoulders slumped less.

As the moments passed however, an invisible weight seemed to fall onto his shoulders as his eyes began to dim, before he shut the locket and gingerly placed it back into his pocket.

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER**...was not the intended ending, however due to time constraints, and the cursed writers block combined with the worst case of pointless plot bunnies...it was decided that loading this chapter as is was better than letting it linger unnoticed, consider it a transitionary chapter for things to come. The story in its entirety is planned out, but that doesn't mean we have the right words for each scene, or the time to write out each chapter. Both Leaf Ranger and dracohalo117 will continue this story, but we'd prefer to give you something good and worth reading, rather than shoehorn half assed stuff for the sake of a longer chapter.

In the meantime, dracohalo117 recommends these stories!

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Rise of the White Wolf-The White Wulf

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	8. Onset and Portent

**Disclaimer:** Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchlade, or Artifacts in any way, shape or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and is the creation of Monty Oum…The Darkness, Witchblade and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

 **Notice:** This story, and just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon, we will be extracting elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy of the canon storyline.

 **Attention:** This story was planned out before the beginning of Volume 3, Volume 3 and beyond was not taken into account in the production of this fanfic. Do not expect characters, concepts or personalities to appear if they occurred in Volume 3.

Also, our sincerest apologies this took so long, admittedly, we've been stuck on this part for almost two months, but sadly, dracohalo117 works multiple jobs and is rarely home, also his laptop has basically died more or less. Leaf Ranger also has his own concerns to deal with as well.

Now without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

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* * *

The door to team JNPR's bathroom opened, the steam from the shower gently billowing out into the room as Jaune stepped out, gently drying his hair with a towel, half dressed in his school uniform.

After gently swiping his fingers through his hair, he tossed his towel onto his bed.

For but a moment, his eyes lingered upon the very place he had slept the night before, the dream from before playing out in his head.

Blinking as he turned away, he grabbed the remainder of his uniform off his bedpost, and stepped before the mirror in their dorm, putting on the last piece of the school uniform. After fumbling with the buttons, he finally looked up at himself.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora had already finished getting dressed, the latter two conversing in their usual manner, while Pyrrha watched her partner.

It did not go unnoticed by her how Jaune kept staring at the mirror far longer than necessary to prepare for class.

Nor did it go unnoticed how his fingers began to twitch.

She slowly stood upright and walked over to her Jaune, who she could now see was staring into the reflection of his eyes.

"Jaune?" she spoke softly as she placed her hand upon his shoulder, a noticeable twitch greeted her as Jaunes head snapped to the side to look at her.

Jaune spoke softly, "Y-yeah?" the tremble in his voice caused Pyrrha to frown.

"Another nightmare." she stated more than asked, as her partner lowered his head, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked, a small smirk coming to his lips.

Pyrrha nodded, "Do you want to talk about it?" she gently gripped his shoulder.

Jaune shook his head as he turned to Pyrrha, "No, but thank you for the offer. I just need to figure this out is all." he glanced back at the mirror.

"Jaune…" this time, it was Ren who spoke, "…you know you can count on us, right?" he stood up, and began to walk over to the two partners, "We may not have known each other for long, but we are a team now, that means you can rely on us."

Jaune smiled at the only other male in their group, "I know, but it-BRIIIING." his words were halted as he felt his scroll vibrate in his pocket, at the same time, so too did the scrolls of his teammates.

Nora was the first to open up her scroll, and she began to rapidly read through the message, "Huh, seems all Grimm studies classes have been cancelled until further notice." she blinked as she slid her finger across her scroll, "Which just so happens to be our first period." a grin split her features as she jumped up, "Woohoo! Free period!"

Ren was the next to open his scroll, his eyes scanning over the text, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, until further notice all Grimm Studies classes with Professor Peter Port have been cancelled. Until the matter has been resolved, classes shall be replaced by studies with Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck once the new schedule has been approved by Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Glynda Goodwitch." Ren reread one more time, his eyes shifting upwards, before his gaze fell upon Jaune, "Do you think it has something to do with the Grimm becoming docile?"

Jaune looked at his own scroll, "I don't know, why?" he asked as Ren closed his scroll and stood up.

"Grimm Studies, regardless of school, usually pits the students against Grimm, it is less common in the preparatory academies such as Signal, Sanctum and Bethel, but in the major academies like Beacon, Haven, Atlas and Mistral it is mandatory for the students to combat Grimm. The only reason they would cancel such a class is if they ran out of Grimm to combat, which considering it is the beginning of the school year is unlikely. Or…" he glanced at Jaune, "...your semblance is keeping them docile."

Ren was not the only one looking at him, the gaze of Pyrrha and Nora had also found their way to the blond, who was now looking at the floor.

"Well, whatever the reason, we get a free period!" Nora jumped off her bed, "I say we celebrate with pancakes and syrup!" she grabbed Ren, "Come on Ren, if we don't get to the cafeteria in time they may run out of pancakes!" she suddenly grabbed Jaune with her free arm, pulling him into her side, "Soooo, you like pancakes Jaune?"

Jaune was not prepared for Noras antics, but quickly answered, "Uhm, y-yeah, why do you-."

Nora's eyes went wide as she released Ren, and grabbed both of Jaunes shoulders as she let out a loud and gleeful gasp, "Pancake buddies!"

Jaune stared at her in a mix of confusion and tepid fear, "Panca-WHOA!" before Jaune could say another word Nora lifted him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and turned towards the door.

"To pancakes!" Nora yelled as she charged through the door with Jaune flailing on her shoulder.

"N-Nora wait!" Pyrrha ran after them, leaving Ren alone in the dorm room.

The dark haired male couldn't help but smile, he saw the look in Nora's eyes, and knew exactly what she was doing.

Leave it to Nora to make somebody forget about their problems, if only for a little while.

Or, mentally scar them with her antics, whichever happened would happen he supposed.

He stepped through the door into the common area used by JNPR and RWBY…and immediately froze in place as he stared at the sight before him.

All four members of team RWBY were seated at the counter, passing around a pot of coffee.

Yang was pouring a large glass before slowly passing it to Weiss, who quickly poured two glasses for herself as Yang reached for the sugar and cream. Blake haphazardly grabbed the coffee and poured herself a cup, before gulping down the coffee without even bothering to sweeten it. As Blake cringed in disgust at the coffee, Weiss carefully measured the sugar and cream before Yang grabbed both and haphazardly poured them in. As they both drank their coffee, Ruby grabbed a wooden spoon and scooped out as much sugar as it could hold and poured it into the coffee.

'Thunk' only Ren turned to see Yang bonk her forehead on the table, groaning after chugging her coffee.

He could only stare as he beheld the site before him, a single word passing his lips, "Hangover?"

Three out of four hands went up in response, "Hangover."

The fourth hand went up, "Too many cookies."

Ren couldn't stop the smile that came to his lips.

* * *

Pyrrha had barely gotten a glimpse of the scene occurring in the common area before she had chased Nora carrying Jaune out the door to their conjoined dorm, "Nora!" she yelled after Nora as the ginger grenadier cackled madly, while Jaune flailed about on her shoulder with wide eyes.

Pyrrha kept her gaze fixed on the two of them, until a flash of purple caught her gaze and her eyes widened, "Nora watch-"

'OOF' her warning came too late as Nora barreled into the innocent bystander, causing a heap of limbs to tangle with one another.

Pyrrha ran over to the pile of limbs and began to panic, "Oh dear, are you all alright?"

Nora groaned as she pushed herself up, "Yeah, I am fine."

"Nora…" Jaune groaned as his voice was muffled, she looked down to find that she was using his face to push herself up.

"Oops." she shot up to both feet and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry Jauney, you ok?"

Jaune, now able to talk, "Yes I am fine."

"That's great to hear." all three members of team JNPR shot their gaze to where Jaune was seated, to find that he was currently seated on the back of Amethyst, "With that all out of the way, would you be so kind as to stop sitting on my back?" she said with a grin.

"Gah!" Jaune leapt off of her, reaching down and helping her up, "I am really sorry about that." he nervously began to sputter, which only caused Amethyst to burst out laughing.

"Oh relax blondie, it's not your fault we keep meeting like this." she grinned as she struck a pose, "But at least you didn't ruin my new top." she gestured to herself, showing off that she was now wearing a purple version of the green corset top she had worn the day before, showing off just as much cleavage, making Jaune turn away and blush.

Giggling to herself, Amethyst turned towards the three present members of JNPR, "So, what are you three off to in such a hurry? If you are worried about being late to class, then don't worry, Professor Ports classes are cancelled until further notice."

Nora gleefully jumped into the conversation, "We are going to get breakfast!" she wrapped her arms around Jaune, "Our fearless team leader and I are now pancake buddies!" she grinned widely as she began to hug Jaune.

Jaune grunted as she tightened her grip, "N-Nora can't brea-"

"To commemorate this day we shall eat pancakes until our stomachs rupture!" Nora shot a hand into the air, "To do anything less would be criminal, felonious, evil!" she yelled as her eyes gained a manic glint to them.

Amethyst smirked at the scene of Nora flailing Jaune around and Pyrrha trying to stop her, "Well, I was on my way to the cafeteria to meet up with my team, how about we go together."

"That sounds lovely." Pyrrha said with a smile.

"Wait for us!" The four Beacon students turned their gaze behind them to see team RWBY and Ren heading up the hall towards them.

Amethyst shrugged her shoulders, "Hey, the more the merrier, eh?" she grinned as she turned around, the small horde of students making their way down the halls.

Jaune and Pyrrha took up the rear, Pyrrha leaning close to Jaune, "You alright?"

Jaune glanced at Pyrrha, and smiled, "Yeah, just some mild bruising, I will be fine." he looked behind Pyrrha, "We should get going before Nora eats all the pancakes."

Pyrrha laughed softly to herself, "Yes, I can already tell that will be a common concern of ours moving forward." she turned and began to walk back up the hall as Jaune followed behind.

As the sun leaked through the windows, casting shadows behind them.

And for but a moment, it appeared as though yellow eyes opened in Jaunes shadow, before closing again.

* * *

After several minutes of walking, teams RWBY and JNPR had arrived at the cafeteria, Amethyst had quickly looked around the cafeteria, and grinned as she saw her team sitting in the corner, "Well I'll talk to you all later." she smirked back at RWBY and JNPR, "Feel free to join us though if you can't wait though." she winked back at them as she strutted over to her teammates.

As they watched her walk away, Weiss crossed her arms, "She's…different…" for once she felt herself unable to find the proper words, which made Yang grin.

"Oh yeah, she's a real 'gem'." a loud groan escaped everyone who heard her poor attempt at humor, as Ruby whined, leaning against Nora for comfort.

"That was terrible and so are you." the ginger deadpanned as she wrapped her arms around Ruby, cooing softly as she lifted her up and carried her over to the lunch line.

Yang pouted, "Oh come on, I am hilarious!" she yelled as she ran after them.

"No, you really aren't."

After several minutes of standing in line, they had finally gotten their trays, and after considerable effort had managed to get the piles of pancakes to the same table as team AMAT.

Amethyst grinned at their arrival, "I knew you couldn't keep away." she nudged her partner, who was eating oatmeal, "Well, go on Marthy, say good morning."

Marth blinked once and turned to look at Amethyst, "If I say good morning will you let me eat my food in peace?" she asked with a flat tone, which only made Amethyst smirk.

"Of course not silly." she chuckled as Marth sighed and returned to her oatmeal.

"Amethyst, please, it is too early for this." Azura spoke up as he was holding his head in his hands, intentionally looking away from her as he tried to drink some coffee.

Amethyst only grinned, "Aww, what's the matter Azura, didn't get enough sleep last night."

"No, no I did not." he said flatly as he bit into some toast.

Taji snorted, "I can only imagine how your mornings are gonna go when we have to go out on missions. Won't be the comfort of a bed all the time Soutora." he bit into an omelet as he noisily began to chew his food.

Azura glared up at him as RWBY and JNPR both cringed in disgust, "Okay, first off Taji, its Azura, say it with me 'A-zur-a', second, I have had to train out in the wilds before and you know that isn't why I didn't sleep, and third, for GODS sake Taji close your mouth when you chew! It's disgusting!"

Taji blinked at Azura, "Is chewing with your mouth closed another thing the Kingdoms do that I have to learn to do?"

"Yes." Azura was echoed by team RWBY and JNPR, though Amethyst only snickered at Taji.

"Oh don't worry big cat, we'll get you 'kingdom trained' soon enough."

Taji rolled his eyes, "Oh boy, such joy, allow me to frolic and cavort in glee." he bit into his omelet again, though this time trying to keep his mouth closed as he chewed.

"Ow, stop that!" the three teams snapped their heads around as they heard the cry of pain, and found a disturbing scene.

The second tallest member of team CRDL was standing over a Faunus, yanking on one of her ears, smirking as they tugged on it.

A series of scowls passed over their faces, as Team AMAT stood up.

"Hey!" before they could do anything, Jaune was already marching towards Dove, his loud and commanding voice making the taller Huntsman trainee stop what he was doing, allowing the Faunus to get her ear free.

Dove simply sneered at Jaune, "What is it you want you blond midget?" he said standing tall and pushing out his chest to intimidate Jaune.

Jaune did not appear in the slightest bit affected by his posturing as he got up in Doves face and hissed, "I want you to piss off, and stay away from her, and don't ever let me catch you doing anything like that again."

Dove snarled again and grabbed Jaune by the front of his uniform.

Back at the table, both team RWBY and JNPR stood up, Azura and Taji jumped over the table as Amethyst scowled at Dove, while Marth grabbed a spoon and held it in a throwing position.

"Dove!" but before anybody could move, a loud and deep voice shot across the cafeteria, and the attention that was once on Dove and Jaune, ended up on the tallest member of team CRDL.

Cardin Winchester was marching towards Dove and Jaune, the look in his eyes was one of anger, but there was something else beneath it. Neither of the two huntsman trainees, nor anybody observing could catch a glimpse before Cardin was in front of the duo, grabbing Dove by the base of his neck and shoving him off of Jaune.

Dove stumbled back as he was forced to release Jaune, he barely managed to grab onto the table as he looked up at his leader with confusion, "Cardin, what are-"

Before Dove could say another word, Cardin grabbed him by the front of his uniform and yanked him up, "Move, now." his voice was quiet, but the tone and snarl were enough to make Dove pause, and look fearfully at the much larger huntsman trainee, "I said now!" Cardin snapped as he yanked Dove more and shoved him, pushing him towards the cafeteria exit, Dove stared fearfully at Cardin, the much larger huntsman trainee shoving his teammate out of the cafeteria, casting a single glance back to Jaune, before snapping his head away.

The last thing they saw as the two left the cafeteria was Cardin grabbing the front of Doves uniform and dragging him out of the cafeteria, a look of fear on Doves face.

Jaune stared in confusion and a bit of concern as he watched the events unfold before him, before shaking his head and looking towards the Faunus girl that Dove had been bullying, which he could see from her ears was a Rabbit Faunus, "You alright?"

The Faunus girl nervously looked away, turning her head slightly, "Uhm, yes I am." she smiled back at him, "Thank you, I mean…I could have…could have handled it, but…" she coughed as she nervously stammered, "I appreciate…I appreciate the gesture no less for it."

Jaune chuckled nervously as he began to scratch the back of his head, "It was no trouble. Really…" he blinked a bit as the two became eerily silent, "So, uhm…my name is Jaune Arc." he said extending his hand.

The girl smiled back at him and did the same, grabbing onto his hand with a firm grip, "Velvet Scarlatina."

Jaune grinned back at her as the two parted hands, and he made a show of squeezing his fingers, "That's a strong grip you got there Velvet."

Her eyes suddenly widened at his words, "Oh dear, did I hurt you?" her voice raised in pitch a bit, making Jaune's eyes go wide in response.

"No no no, no, you didn't, I was just…uhm…" he turned away and scratched the back of his head, "Sorry…" he trailed off, looking away.

Velvet looked away, "Uhm…I…I should get going now." she began to walk away.

"How would you like to join us for breakfast?" Velvet stopped in her tracks and looked back at him, "I mean…" he looked around, "…if you don't want to that's fine, I just thought I'd offer since…" he trailed off again, slowly looking away.

"I'd like that." Jaunes gaze suddenly snapped back to look at Velvet, who gave a soft smile back at him.

Blinking once, "Ok, that's great, come on over." he smiled as he began to walk back to his table, with Velvet in tow.

Returning to his seat, Pyrrha gently grabbed his shoulder, giving him a smile of approval as Velvet was seated between Jaune and Amethyst.

Amethyst placed her elbow on the table and smiled at Velvet, "Well hello there, Velvet was it?" she asked, though her tone was in a clear joking manner as she extended her hand, "My names Amethyst, Amethyst Rilo."

Velvet smiled back at her and took her hand, "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Rilo."

Amethyst grinned back at her, slowly breaking the handshake, dragging her fingers across Velvets palm, "The pleasure is all mine, and please, call me Amethyst." she gave Velvet a wink, making the rabbit Faunus blush.

"So, Velvet…?" the rabbit Faunus looked over to Pyrrha, "…if I may ask, where is your team?"

Velvet sighed as she began to move her food around her plate, "They are back at our dorm, the Grimm incursion the other day tired them out." she took a bite of her food, not noticing the sudden silence that came over teams RWBY and JNPR.

Velvet continued, "We are also about to head out on a mission within the next two days, so they wanted to try and catch up on some sleep before that happened." she took another bite of her food, as several pairs of eyes stared at her in confusion.

"Mission?" Weiss piped up, "But, you are just a student, why are you going on a mission?"

Velvet wiped some syrup off the edges of her lips, "After the first semester of your first year, teams start getting sent on more missions, though with the Vytal festival happening in Vale this year, I don't know if that will be the case or not. But once you become a second year you get sent on routine missions into the countryside, depending on skill level of course."

As Velvet took a bite of her food, Taji piped up, "Then why didn't you just put that one in his place? He was just a first year, you have had a year of experience and yet didn't fight back, why?"

Velvet looked down at her food, a sigh passing through her lips, "I used to do exactly what you said…it lead to some problems, problems I would like to avoid."

Taji snorted derisively, "People like him will just escalate the issues until they are challenged by somebody stronger than them." he grabbed his omelet and continued, "You can either make an example of him now before that happens, or wait until he does." he took a bite of his omelet and began to chew.

"Is that what your clan taught the White Fang too?" Weiss chose this moment to pipe up, her eyes narrowing at Taji as he swallowed his food, shrugging in response.

"No idea, they could have, but I wouldn't know, I was eight when they came to my clan, no idea why, but after they met my clan they started wearing Grimm Masks based off of ours." he took another bite into his omelet as he mumbled.

"And if they did?" Weiss spoke up, her voice cold as she awaited an answer.

Taji looked back at her, his lips forming a thin line, "You can teach somebody your ways, but it is their choice to follow that path. The White Fang made their choice, and we made ours." he took another bite of his omelet

Weiss was quiet, but a thoughtful gaze passed over her features, a low sigh escaping her lips as she returned to eating her food.

The table was quiet, "So…" until Nora broke the silence, "Why couldn't you get any sleep Azura?"

This question brought a wide eyed look to Azura as Amethyst and Taji grinned.

"Oh have we got a story for you-"

"Don't you dare Taji!" Azura snapped at him as he reached to attempt to strangle the much larger Huntsman trainee. The scene making everyone at the table laugh as they watched the display occur.

Jaune himself was laughing at the scene, and found himself smiling.

It felt…nice.

As he reached for his food, he looked down, his eyes glancing briefly to the shadow beneath his arm.

His arm froze in place as he saw a bright yellow eye staring back at him, a cruel and malicious look in its retina.

He almost snapped his arm back, but as he did so he blinked…

The eye was nowhere to be seen.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha looked at him in concern as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright?"

Jaune was quiet, blinking slowly as he stared at his shadow, "I…I think so."

Was he though?

 _Was he really?_

* * *

Dove staggered back, being caught by Sky as Cardin shoved the larger huntsman trainee back.

Cardin towered over Dove and snarled, "Now you listen, and listen very carefully, because I will not repeat myself, you are not going to pull another stunt like what you did back there. You are going to be quiet, don't do _anything_ to attract the attention of _anyone_ , especially _him_!" Cardin practically snarled at Dove, who was looking at the larger huntsman trainee with fear.

Russel grabbed Cardin's arm, "Geeze Cardin it was just a-"

"Shut up!" a resounding smack was heard as Cardin suddenly backhanded Russel, sending him onto his ass, before Cardin snapped, "That goes for the rest of you too. Keep quiet and don't attract any attention whatsoever, or so help me Gods I will make you regret it." he finished, glaring at Russel and Dove.

Russel backed away, looking away, as did Dove.

Sky on the other hand snarled as he stepped forward, pulling his fist back.

An action that did not go unnoticed by Cardin, in a single motion he shot his hand out and grabbed Sky by the front of his uniform, and lifted him up, slamming him against the wall, and glaring at the shorter huntsman trainee.

Sky tensed, his fingers curling into a fist as he grabbed Cardin's wrist, his eyes staring into Cardins.

The much taller Huntsman trainee just squeezed tighter on Sky's uniform, as he continued to stare.

A second passed, before Sky grunted, letting go of Cardin's wrist, making the much larger teen drop him. Sky landed on his feet, and looked away from Cardin.

"I am going to the temple, I will meet you in class." He spoke without a hint of emotion as he turned and began to walk away, "Remember what I said."

The three other members of CRDL simply watched as Cardin turned the corner heading towards the temple.

The sound of his footsteps was Cardins only company as he made his way to the temple, a thousand thoughts whirling about in his mind.

He knew he went too far with his team, but he couldn't let them think they could disobey him, not now, not when _he_ walked among them.

His fingers curled into a fist as he thought of him, that blonde haired _kid_ , had been so close to his teammate, a person under his command and protection.

Dove may not have realized it, but he was so close to something evil, something worse than Grimm.

He couldn't tell them either, he knew the consequences of what he wanted to say without evidence, he knew he would face worse than being ostracized. But he still couldn't stand the idea _his team_ did not know of the evil so close in their midst.

Why…why didn't he record what he saw?! Why had he frozen up so badly that he couldn't even press a simple button? If he had this whole mess could be avoided, that _monster_ would be dead by now, along with all the others who knew as well.

Tea, JNPR and RWBY, they were riding that Grimm with him, they knew what he was, and they didn't kill him outright? How dare they?!

Gritting his teeth, he stopped mid step, and slammed his fist into the wall, creating a sizable dent, and making his knuckles sting from the pain. Clutching his fist, he slowly calmed himself, breathing in and out, in and out.

Now wasn't the time for anger, no, he had to be vigilant…a creature of the Grimm Sire walked among them.

Taking one last deep breath, he looked up, and saw the entrance of the temple, no more than twenty feet away.

One by one, he stepped forward, before he turned into the entrance of the temple, his eyes gazing upon the temple, and for a brief second, an air of calm came over him.

As he beheld the ornate archways, he stepped forth into the semi-circular room of the Temple of Nine, his footfalls echoing in the chamber as he stepped forth, the light from the stained glass windows shone forth, illuminating the dark chamber.

He slowly turned his head to regard one idol in particular, the ornate shield of the god of protection, wrapped around the androgynous figure within, its presence further calming the enraged teen as he walked towards it.

Stopping in front of the idol, Cardin took a deep breath, his arms moving to his side, and slowly raising upwards, until they were parallel with the floor, before he slowly curled them towards himself, and placed his left hand on his right side, and right hand on his left, a single breath escaping his lips as he began to speak, "Blessed and generous God of Protection, guardian of all against the evils of this world, I ask for your luminous strength to shine down to me, let my body become a vessel for your strength, let my flesh become a conduit of your will, let me protect those I cherish, and let me bring an end to the evils of this world."

Cardin was quiet, his hands slowly extending back from his sides, as he spread his arms outward once more, before bringing them to his side.

For a moment, his gaze remained fixed on the idol of the God of Protection, as the light from outside the temple began to diminish, no doubt a cloud passing over. As the light diminished, Cardins gaze turned towards another idol.

The idol of the God of Souls.

His eyes narrowed as the darkness overtook the temple, and he sneered at the idol, before turning away, and exiting the temple.

He had work to do.

* * *

The icy continent of Mantle behind them, the Bullhead of one James Ironwood was now making its way across the sea towards the continent of Vytal, and from there, Vale.

James peered out the window, his eyes glancing over the Horizon as he felt the Bullhead shake from sudden turbulence, only to return to its normal status as it drifted through the air. The hum of the Bullhead engines echoing in his ear.

He glanced to his left hand, which was firmly grasping a glass of Atlesian Malt Bourbon, its dark color swishing back and forth as he brought to glass to his lips, and drank the glass in a single motion. He felt the burn of the bourbon slide down his throat, settling in his stomach, a slow warmth extending outward as he set the glass down.

" _General, reporting in as ordered sir."_ James attention was drawn to his right hand, or more accurately the speaker located on the right armchair. Pressing a button beneath the speaker he began to respond.

"Confirmed, what is the status of our flight Corporal?" he removed his finger from the button as the corporal responded.

" _Smooth flight so far sir, we will be passing the first checkpoint soon, ETA seventeen minutes sir."_ James gave a soft hum of approval before pressing the button again.

"Good, any sign of airborne Grimm?"

" _None sir, so far the skies are clear far as we can tell, radar has picked up no incoming bogies."_

A frown came across James lips as he processed that response. No airborne Grimm, that was…odd to say the least. By now there would have been at least a small flock of Nevermore, or something, but no sign?

"Keep me posted, there could be an ambush in waiting, or a congregation of them nearby."

" _Yes sir."_ The line went quiet, leaving James to the silence.

He crossed his fingers before him, his eyes staring off in the distance, his mind whirling with thoughts.

It was far from uncommon for those traveling by air to be harassed by airborne Grimm, in fact protocols had been integrated across the kingdoms on how to respond, and even merchant transportation had basic munitions meant to bring down airborne Grimm variants. They had passed several known Grimm locations, areas where Grimm congregated en masse, especially airborne variants.

But not one?

Thinking back to what he had seen in the video Ozpin had sent him, a frown came to his lips.

Could it be possible that whatever he saw in that video was connected to this sudden shift in Grimm behavior?

A sigh escaped his lips as he brought a hand to his face, slowly dragging his hand downwards, as he began to scratch his neck.

His index finger catching a thin chain around his neck.

Freezing for a moment, he gently gripped the chain with two fingers, slowly pulling it out of its hidden confines beneath his uniform, he held it in his hand, examining it.

The familiar white gold chain sat in his palm, his eyes trailing over it until it reached a circular locket, bearing the insignia of the God of Protection, scarred and damaged. Slowly, his thumb brushed across the surface of the locket, his lips curling into a thin frown, his eyes growing heavier as he brushed the edge of the locket, slowly opening it.

His lips curled upwards for but a moment, before he felt himself grow weary and heavy hearted as he looked at the pictures inside.

One picture was a woman of pale complexion, clearly of Atlesian origin, her hair a dirty blond color with bright golden tips, a pair of feline ears atop her head.

The other, a little girl no older than six, her hair as dark as his own, the same pale complexion of the woman.

Both sharing the same shade of Amber eyes.

* * *

 **AN:** We hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did, please show your support by leaving a review, leave your thoughts and criticisms in the review section.

Wow, this didn't take us very long, huh, not sure why, was just really in the 'this must be written right now' mood for some reason. Either way, we hope you all liked the chapter.

Amethyst Rilo is an OC created by Leaf Ranger.

Azura Soutora is an OC created by Uzumaki Ricky.

Sial Rubus is an OC created by dracohalo117.

Marth Pierce and Taji Onko, are OC's created by dracohalo117 in conjunction with Leaf Ranger and Uzumaki Ricky.

Anybody want to take a guess at the inspiration behind them? Leave your guess in the review section and if you get it right, you will get a shout-out in the next chapter.

 **Question:** Why are people defending Raven for abandoning her daughter, when they give Taiyang shit for making a joke on Yang losing her arm when Yang clearly wasn't offended by it? Could somebody PLEASE that question in a review?

Also, why do people seem to have such a hatred for Jaune and Sun Wukong as well? Why is there so much hatred for the three blond males in RWBY?

 **Now to Answer Questions:**

1\. Vytal and Mantle are continents?: As established in the AN and since this story was published, this was planned out before Volume 3 aired, and at the time we believed that Vytal was the name of the continent that Vale and Vacuo occupied, and Mantle was the name of the continent that Atlas occupied, we have a name planned for the continent that Mistral occupies as well, and it is NOT Anima.

2\. What is with James?: Find out in the One Shot series which will be connected to Overcoming Darkness, will be posted in one week.

 **Can't find Good fanfics?:** On this site we ogten search hours on end to find good fanfics to read, some pique our interest but then fall under, while others we pass by without giving them a chance, here are a few fanfics I think are worth the time and effort to read.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Rise of the White Wolf-The White Wulf

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-Legacy-Greatcow

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

-RWBY: Bloodmoon-Amouren

-Sympathy for the Devils-Angel Arcano92

 **Important** : Years ago I and many others all worked hard to preserve Net Neutrality, and now, the new FCC commissioner seems intent on removing Net neutrality rules and declassifying it as a Title Two utility, to those of you who have read my fics, you all know I am a strong supporter of Net Neutrality, I do not like the idea of ISPs having the power to slow, if not block access to websites unless those websites start charging them a fee to be on 'fast lanes', and it allows ISPs to block all access to any competition, as well as stifle any and all speech that they disagree with. I urge my fellow fanfic writers, my fans, and even those who personally dislike me to look at this issue, and to make an honest decision and an honest choice. I believe Net neutrality, the law which states ISPs must give all an 'equal opportunity', is necessary, but I urge everyone here to make their own honest choice and their own honest decision.


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